The Sabers of Il Santi
by nissanity
Summary: (discontinued please see A/N of Chapter 6) - Nanoha is chosen to become a guardian of humanity after her ultimate sacrifice, and Fate must decide how to handle the appearance of this new angel in her life.
1. Chapter 1 - Angels and Demons

**Warning: This story has been discontinued at Chapter 6 and will not be completed.**

**A/N: **Fair warning - - This new story revolves around religious themes, although it's not really supposed to be taken too seriously. There might be some violence, moderate amounts of sex, and maybe a good deal of swearing. I'll hopefully be earning the M-rating on this story soon, so if none of these things interest you, you may want to skip this one. NanoFate as always.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

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******oOOOo**

******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI (Discontinued)**

by : ~Nissanity~

**__****Prologue**

******Nanoha POV**

"_Train Number 9 is approaching the track in two minutes. Please stand clear of the platform. I repeat..._"

I impatiently readjusted the strap of my backpack against my shoulder, as I waited for my train to arrive at the station. I was running behind schedule to start my shift at Midorya, my parents cafe that I worked at when they were short staffed. I had stayed behind a few minutes after class to discuss the current assignment due in my Religious Studies class with the professor, missing my original train by a few minutes.

"Oh my God, there's a little girl down there!" I suddenly heard screamed to my left. A woman was frantically pointing down at the rails in the station, and people began to rush over to her side. I immediately dropped my backpack and ran in her direction as well.

When I approached the edge and looked down, I saw a little girl sitting in the middle of the rails on the lower level. She had a stuffed rabbit laying next to her as she looked around her surroundings, confused and panicking.

I noted that the little blond-haired girl had one red eye and one green eye, and looked to be about five-years old. I laid on my stomach on the platform, my body hanging half off of it.

"Sweetie, please come to me!" I plead, with my hand stretched out to her like a few other passengers. "I know you're scared right now, but you have to brave and stand up, okay?"

More screams rang out as the next arriving train rounded the corner in the station. The little girl only looked up at us blankly as we all begged her to come to us. She then focused her eyes directly on me.

"Mama?" she asked me, her face now looking a bit hopeful. I took a deep breath and mustered up all the courage I had, and stood up quickly.

"I'll hand her up to you!" I yelled to the people next to me. I jumped down from the platform and picked up her stuffed animal, placing it back into her arms. I then scooped the girl up in my arms and ran over to the edge of the platform. The other passengers all had their arms outstretched towards us, as I lifted her up to them to safety.

The group suddenly moved their arms away from me, and I was only able to turn around in time to see the front of the train make contact with body, before my vision turned completely white.

******oOOOo**

My vision was restored a few moments later, and I suddenly found myself standing in the middle of Midorya. I was surprised to see it empty in front of me, without even my parents or siblings around to tend to the counter.

I looked down at myself and patted my body, noting that I didn't have any injuries, even though I distinctly remembered the train making contact with me.

"You really love this place, yes?" I heard a voice say from behind me.

I turned around to find a teal-haired woman sitting down at one of the booths, pouring herself a cup of tea. After she set the teapot down, she gestured to the seat across from her. I walked over and sat down across from the woman, noting she was now placing an unusual number of cubes of sugar into the drink.

"I do love this cafe," I confirmed as I settled into the seat. "I grew up here."

The woman nodded at my statement, now pouring cream into her cup of tea. "That's why you chose it. To make the process easier for you," she informed me.

I paused for a moment to consider her words. "Am I dead?" I asked.

"Yes, you're dead," she quickly confirmed.

"Oh," I replied flatly. I then began rapping my knuckles against the table. "So... now what?"

The woman set her tea cup on the saucer. "Well, I do have good news for you, Nanoha. You're getting a second chance, of sorts."

I perked up a little. "Really? What do you mean exactly?"

"The circumstances of your death caught my attention, and I feel that you may be more of an asset here on Earth than in Heaven," she said.

"So, are you...?" I began.

She laughed and waved me off. "Oh, no! No-ho-ho! I am a certainly an associate of His, though."

The woman handed me a business card, which I read aloud. "Saint Lindy, Archangel. Messenger of God?"

"Yes, that's right. But you can just call me Lindy," she told me. "I just had a position open up on my crew, and after your actions today, I certainly think you would fit in well with my team."

"What type of team is it?" I asked nervously.

"My angels, of course!" she replied. "If you agree to join us, I think you will find the work to be challenging, yet satisfying. And after the sacrifice you made today, I think you have well-earned the opportunity to fulfill this role."

"An... angel?" were the only words I could find in response to her proposal.

Lindy stood up from the table, and pieces of the walls of the cafe started breaking apart and falling off around her. "You're body is about to be resuscitated at the train station Nanoha, so you need to make a decision. I'm sorry, I wish I could give you more time to decide on this, but I simply can't."

"And if I say no?" I asked, dodging a piece of ceiling that almost fell onto me.

"You die," Lindy simply responded.

The floor shifted below me, and it suddenly felt like I was in an earthquake. "What would I have to do?" I shouted, bracing myself against the table.

"Protect people, in many different ways!" she responded as the lights of the cafe flickered. "Nanoha, it's now or never!"

"Yes!" I yelled in response. "I'll do it!"

Lindy snapped her fingers, and I suddenly felt my back against cold, hard concrete. I gasped deeply, my eyes flying open in a panic. It took me a moment to register that I was now looking at the ceiling of the train station. There were quite a few people hovering over me, as my eyes darted around quickly.

"_Not a scratch on her... Unbelievable..._" I heard murmured around me. I sat up and immediately saw the little blond-haired girl sitting next to me, staring at me with a frightened look on her face. I reached over and pulled her into my lap, hugging her close.

"What's your name, sweetie?" I asked her.

"Vivio," she replied quietly into my shirt.

"And where are your parents, Vivio?"

She pulled away from my shoulder to look up at me, her eyes showing confusion at my question. I hugged her tightly to me again.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry," I assured her. "But first, let's get both of us to the hospital."

******oOOOo**

******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI**

**Chapter 1_ – Angels and Demons_**

**Fate POV**

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" I exclaimed, as my mother pulled me into the Catholic Church by the ear. The evening Mass was already well underway, but that didn't stop her from walking in with our group with much fanfare, to sit us all in one of the front pews.

I immediately knelt down in front of my seat, tracing the sign of the cross across my body before folding my hands in prayer. Ginga followed suit next to me, with her sister Subaru joining next to her. I then checked to confirm my 9mm with the short silencer attached was fully concealed under my jacket.

"What are we _doing_ here?" Ginga whispered to me through clenched teeth.

"I have no idea!" I replied in a hushed voice back to her. "We haven't been to the Church since we were kids!"

My mother knelt down between Ginga and I, swaying her hips back and forth to scoot us over, so that we could give her more room.

"Lindy just got herself a new angel, and we need all the help we can get!" she hissed quietly to us, now making the sign of the cross as well.

Ginga rolled her eyes. "Well, for fuck's sake, Precia! It takes years for an angel to become skilled enough to earn their wings. What's the problem?" she asked. The lady in the pew in front of us turned around and peered at us disapprovingly. I gave an apologetic smile in return.

Precia turned and glared at Ginga. "Lindy's new angel earned her wings in a week!" my mother exclaimed loudly. More people began to turn around to stare at us.

I glanced around, starting to feel uncomfortable with everyone's looks. "Mother, can we just get out of here?" I asked quietly.

My mother stood up. "You're right! We should be out there doing something. This won't do us any good in here. Let's go, girls!" she cried, grabbing me by the ear again.

"Ow! That really hurts!" I yelled as we made our way back out of the church.

I rubbed my tender ear as we all stood outside the front doors on the sidewalk, our group illuminated under the streetlights. I took out a cigarette from my pack and lit it, the smoke mixing with my foggy breath on the chilly winter night. As I was putting my pack and lighter back in my inner jacket pocket, my mother took the cigarette from my mouth and started smoking it herself.

"So, what do you think will happen now?" Ginga asked. "Lindy's team was already pretty good. Chrono was hard enough to win souls against, and Teana is becoming better every day. She'll probably have her wings soon."

"Subaru's close to it as well, though," I responded, before lighting a new cigarette.

"I think Teana is closer, honestly," Subaru mentioned. "As soon as she gets the sharpshooter thing perfected, she'll have them."

"Have you spoken with the Germans yet, Precia?" Ginga asked.

My mother crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "No! I'd rather not speak to that meddlesome brat any more than I have to!"

"Oh, she's not that bad!" I scolded her. "She's actually kind of fun."

My mother said nothing, only huffing a little and continuing to puff on my original cigarette.

"Those things are still bad for your health, you know?" Subaru mentioned, as she observed me take another drag of mine.

I waved off her admonishment. "So, what's the plan then?" I then asked the group.

"Should we find go out who this mystery angel is?" Ginga asked me.

My mother seemed to brighten with the idea. "Yes! You guys should go find her and gather all the information you can on her. We need to know just who our competition is. "

"You didn't happen to get an address from Yuuno when you were at his office earlier, by chance?" I ventured.

My mother scowled at me. "Yeah, right," she grumbled. "That little prick wouldn't tell me anything else!"

I laughed, and then looked around at the buildings surrounding us. "That one," I announced, pointing to the roof of the tallest building in our vicinity.

"I hope it has an elevator," Ginga responded, craning her neck upwards.

"I'm going home," my mother suddenly informed us. "Call me later when you find out anything."

We parted ways from her and started making our way across the busy streets of the city, towards our rooftop destination.

"_Uminari Crowne Plaza,_" the sign read of the upscale building we were about to make our way to the top of.

"This is really fucking nice!" Ginga commented as we walked into the lobby. "Too bad we can't afford to ever stay in a place like this."

"We could if we made more commissions," I mused, thinking of all the souls that Chrono had captured before our group even had a chance to react. "With him and the new angel, we will probably have to step up our game even more."

We walked to the end of the lobby and I spotted a button for the elevator. I pressed it, and noticed the button wasn't illuminating. I pressed it several times again with no result.

"Hey Fate, look!" Subaru said from beside me. She was pointing to the closed double doors of the elevator, and I noticed a sign reading "_Out of Order_" taped to the front. I turned around and saw all the elevator doors had the same sign on them.

I looked upwards to the ceiling. "Oh, great! Thanks a lot!" I said sarcastically above me.

Ginga smiled at the sign on the doors. "That's what we get for skipping the gym today," she mentioned.

"There's the stairs," Subaru announced, now walking over to the door at the end of the hallway. She opened the door, allowing us to enter ahead of her. I stood at the railing and looked up into the rectangular opening, with the endless stairs spiraling above me.

"Maybe we should just create a barrier...?" I began, thinking of how much easier it would be to fly up instead.

Ginga hit me on the back of the head. "We can't do that unless there are demons around, Fate. You know that."

Subaru started her way up the staircase. "Come on, guys! I'm looking at this like a blessing in disguise. Anything to help me get stronger at this point is good."

Ginga and I grumbled in agreement and followed behind Subaru, who was jogging up the stairs ahead of us. As we rounded the first corner of stairs, I noticed a sign to my left that read "_Floor 2 of 34._" I lowered my head in resignation and continued climbing behind Ginga.

We made it to the top of the stairs and onto the roof, and I bent over with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. I reached into my inner jacket lapel and retrieved my pack of cigarettes.

Subaru looked at me with a disapproving expression on her face. "Those stairs wouldn't have been so bad for you - " she began.

"Nope!" I interrupted, and then inhaled the smoke as best as I could between gasps. "We all have our vices," I added, exhaling and steadying my breath a little bit more.

Ginga ran to the edge of the building and looked down at the city. She raised her hand up in front of her, beginning to scan the area below her. "This might take a while," she stated.

I came and stood beside her. "Because we don't know her aura yet?" I asked her.

"Search for a pinkish-red," a voice suddenly came from behind us. I turned around quickly, my hand poised over my gun in the holster under my arm.

"Shamal!" Subaru cried out. "So it was you who just pinged me, then!"

The blond-haired angel put her hand affectionately on Subaru's head and ruffled her hair. "We need to teach you how to conceal yourself better," she said sweetly to her.

"Hey Shamal," I greeted. "So you guys have already checked out the new angel then?"

Shamal nodded, coming to stand on the edge of the roof beside Ginga to look down on the city. "Yes. Master Hayate sent us out right away when she heard that she earned her wings so quickly. Pretty little thing, too," she told us.

Ginga perked up a little. "Is that so...?" she mused, narrowing her eyes as she increased the power behind her search a little.

Shamal chopped Ginga on the head lightly. "I've known you long enough to know she isn't your type."

"Ah," Ginga simply replied, decreasing the power of the scan back to its usual strength.

"What did you guys learn about her?" I then ask her, flicking my cigarette butt over the edge of the building.

"Not much," Shamal admitted. "Lindy has already taught her how to conceal a lot of her powers. She has saved three souls already from possession in the past few nights, though. She even beat Vita to one."

Shamal chuckled a little at the thought, and then raised her hand in front of her to add a little power to Ginga's search. It wasn't long before we saw a faint red glow come from the university campus a few blocks away.

"Oops! I'm sure she felt that," Ginga said, lowering her hand. The red glow disappeared.

"That happened with us, too," Shamal mentioned. "She gives off a stronger than usual reaction when sought out."

Subaru started making her way down to the roof door. "I have an idea where to look, so I'll start trailing her. You guys can stay up here, so that she doesn't sense you."

"Good idea," I told her. "We might as well take advantage of the fact you don't give off much of an aura yet, while we still can."

"Look for copper-hair in a side ponytail. And bright sapphire eyes. You can't miss them," Shamal said to Subaru's retreating back, as she opened the roof door to head back downstairs.

"Got it!" Subaru said over her shoulder cheerfully as she left.

"So, this new angel must have you 'knights' worried, if you are coming to find us?" I mentioned.

Shamal waved her hand and scoffed a little. "You guys and your rivalries! You know that we don't mind working with others. We get along with Lindy and the Americans just as well."

I smiled. "I know," I responded. I thought affectionately of the German Archangel Hayate, whom I also considered a close friend now as well. She was considered the peacekeeper among the angels, whose egos and ambitions could sometimes lead to problems among us all.

"It's your mother and Lindy's feud that causes most of the issues," Shamal added.

I grimaced. "My mother can be a pain in the ass, I know," I acknowledged.

Ginga's cellphone suddenly rang, and I took the opportunity to light another cigarette. "Chain smoking now?" Shamal asked me disapprovingly.

"What is with everyone today?!" I responded, exhaling exasperated.

"Just because your immortal doesn't mean that shit won't affect you in your human form," Shamal scolded me.

I nodded stubbornly, recalling the climb up the stairs as I began listened in on Ginga's conversation on the phone.

"She's headed where...? Oh, that's close to here," Ginga said into the phone, looking down over the edge of the building. She tapped me on the shoulder and pointed down to the street below.

I looked down and noticed a very small Subaru lurking behind the wall of a building, her cellphone to her ear. Around the corner from her was a girl my age walking on the sidewalk. I could only make out the reddish-brown hair in a side ponytail as she passed across my vision. She had on a winter jacket and a backpack, walking away from one of the entrances of the university campus.

"That's her," Shamal confirmed. "We did observe that she is still trying to maintain a normal life, despite her new status on Earth."

I looked over at Shamal, surprised. "Really? Is that something Lindy wanted her to do?"

Shamal shook her head. "Doubtful. It was probably her own wish. We'll see how long it lasts, though."

I was silent, remembering all the ties to other humans I severed not long after I had died and obtained the status as an angel.

"It's funny," I mentioned. "How quickly you have to lose people in your life in order to save them..."

"It is what it is," Ginga stated flatly. "We have some of family here with us, so we should consider ourselves fortunate."

We watched the new angel walk cross an intersection and turn to a less busy street. We made our way to the other side of the roof to continue observing her. She entered into a two-story building, the bottom half looking to be a restaurant.

"Midorya Cafe," Ginga said, recognizing the business. "They have really good pastries."

We watched silently as Subaru moved to a new location, closer to the entrance of the cafe. After about ten minutes, the girl exited the cafe, a young girl now in her arms. Ginga, Shamal, and I all reacted in shock and slight panic. They began to walk away down the street together.

"Oh, no..." I groaned. "She has a daughter? That's going to be a huge problem for her." Ginga's phone rang again, and Ginga answered it.

"...Yeah, we see her," Ginga responded after a moment. "How young does she look?" she then asked.

Ginga shifted the phone receiver away from her mouth. "About five," she informed Shamal and I quietly.

We continued to monitor the two girls walking down the street for a few moments. Ginga hung up the phone again to continue observing closer. Suddenly, a darkness fell over the street below us, and the shadows being cast by the objects on the street began to twitch and shift.

"Oh, what the fuck?!" I yelled. "He's summoning them now?!"

Shamal raised her arms up, quickly creating a barrier to protect the humans in the immediate vicinity below us. They disappeared, leaving just the shadows and the two girls. The angel stopped in her tracks, holding the girl protectively in her arms and turning towards the shifting shadows in fear.

Shamal's face showed concern. "The girl got trapped in the barrier because the angel was holding onto her when I created it. You guys better get down there fast."

"What a cheap shot," I said before turning to Ginga. "You ready?" I asked her.

"You know it," she responded. She jumped off the roof to the street below, and I followed suite a second behind her.

She and I accelerated our speed as we fell, slamming into the pavement below. I used my fist to brace against the impact and the pavement quickly cracked all around us, creating a crater in the sidewalk. The shadows that were just beginning to solidify their forms turned to us after hearing our arrival.

I retrieved the gun from my holster, ejecting the cartridge of blessed ammunition in my palm, to double check it before the fight started. "These won't work until they are fully formed," I mentioned to Ginga. "I count about ten demons."

Ginga pulled out her pistol, affixed with silencer as well, and held it to her side. "The angel probably won't fight with the girl in the barrier," she mentioned.

I eyed the shadows, who were swaying as they studied us. In an instant, they had turned and were heading in the direction of the the angel to attack them.

"Protect the girl!" I yelled to Ginga, jumping to fly over the demon shadows, trying to reach the two girls quickly. I was grateful to see a familiar pink-haired angel suddenly make it in front of them first below me. She held out her hand in front of her, sending some of the demons flying in the opposite direction.

"Signum!" I exclaimed as I landed, standing beside her to face the opponents. Ginga was to the rear of the group and had just been joined by Subaru. We suddenly had the upper-hand, with the shadows contained between the four of us. The demons all paused, as we all had our weapons posed and ready to fire as soon as they were fully formed.

The shadows quickly dissipated back into the concrete, and the darkness lifted from around us immediately. I saw Shamal jump down from the roof of the building to join us before removing the barrier. I returned my gun to my holster, feeling my pack of cigarettes brush against my hand in my jacket pocket. I removed it, ready to light a new cigarette.

"Thank you..." a shaky voice came from behind us. Everyone turned around except me, as I was focused more on lighting my cigarette instead.

"What are your names?" Shamal asked kindly to the two behind me.

"Nanoha," the angel responded. "And this is Vivio."

"That was pretty dangerous," Signum spoke up next. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Nanoha holding the little girl close to her as she looked away to the ground.

"You may want to find other arrangements for your daughter? It would be safer for her," Signum then suggested.

Nanoha shook her head. "She not my daughter. I'm just keeping her close until I can find a more stable place for her."

I saw Signum and Shamal glance over at each other. I started to walk away from them, motioning for Ginga and Subaru that it was time to go. I knew we were already going to be in enough trouble with my mother for assisting Lindy's new recruit.

"Wait!" Nanoha called from behind us. "You're the Italians, right?"

I stopped momentarily. "Yes. If you're smart, you will just stay away from us," I told her over my shoulder.

"No!" she replied quickly. "No. I want to talk to you, please? Maybe we can discuss this, instead of fighting?"

I shook my head, smiling a little as I turned to face Nanoha to inform her it was impossible. I finally saw her face for the first time, and I felt the flash from her sapphire eyes almost pierce through me when my burgundy ones met hers. My smile fell, and I took a step back in shock as I stared at her, as she studied me carefully in return.

"Who are you?" she asked me quietly, her eyes now looking me over completely.

I released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding in an attempt to speak. "Fate..." I managed to respond.

I felt Ginga's hand grab my shoulder. "Come on, Fate. Precia is going to be really upset about this. We should get going," she said into my ear. I turned and nodded my head in agreement.

"We'll help Nanoha with Vivio," Shamal informed me. "Just try to smooth this over as best as you can with your mother."

Subaru and Ginga turned and started walking away down the street. I looked for a few seconds longer at Nanoha, before turning to join my partners ahead of me as well.

"Well, that was interesting," Ginga spoke up after a moment as we walked. "I have never once seen you respond to anyone like that, Fate."

I flicked my cigarette away. "It doesn't matter," I responded bitterly. "We have a job to do, and that girl is our competition."

"She's going to be tough. Her aura seems really strong," Subaru mentioned.

I glanced over at the sidewalk where Ginga and I had landed earlier from the rooftop. It was restored without any sign of damage with the barrier now gone.

"She still clings too much to her human principles," I responded. "We'll use that to our advantage for as long as we can."

"We still protect that Vivio girl no matter what," Subaru reminded me.

"Of course," I replied. "Although now that Satan knows about her and is willing to attack her at any moment, it's just a matter of time. Unless Nanoha gets rid of her soon."

"How cold, Fate," Ginga scolded me.

"It's not my fault Jail is such an asshole! There is no point in pretending that the little girl isn't a problem for her."

"You're still concerned, at least," Ginga countered.

"Maybe..." I responded simply. I turned the corner at the intersection we had just approached, making my way to my preferred bar downtown.

"But not concerned enough that this place can't fix it," I added, pushing the double doors open ahead of me.

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**A/N:** So yeah, new story concept! Hope you guys stick around with me for it. We shall see how often I can update this one among the other stories. Well, until next time! ~Nissanity~


	2. Chapter 2 - The Healing Prayer

**A/N: **Thanks for all the new followers and reviews for the story. You guys are so awesome, I'm glad you are enjoying it so far! And to **FateKitty**... I love you, too XD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

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******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 2****__**** – The Healing Prayer**

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******Nanoha POV**

"Is Vivio asleep?" Shamal asked me softly.

"Yes," I replied, quietly closing the guest bedroom door shut.

"Why don't we have some tea in the kitchen and talk?" the blond-haired woman suggested, exiting the hallway. I let my hand linger on the closed door for a moment as I stared blankly at the painted wood grain, willing myself to move from the spot I was standing in. Deep down though, it felt like if I were to leave right then, it would be as I was metaphorically leaving Vivio behind.

I knew it would be most likely be a discussion about the little girl. _The_ discussion that I had been dreading and avoiding for a week's time, ever since I brought Vivio home with me. My parents had been watching her at Midorya during my afternoon classes, and I had been attempting to take her back to my apartment when we were suddenly attacked. We were now at Shamal's home, and I was sure the attack was the final confirmation that I should remove Vivio from my life, if I wanted her to be safe from here on out.

I entered into the kitchen behind Shamal a few moments after her, trying hard to mask tears that were threatening to fall, and not entirely succeeding. I sat down at the table across from her, and Shamal noticed my pained expression as she passed me a cup across the table.

"How did you come to meet Vivio?" Shamal asked first.

"She was the reason I died," I replied. "She had somehow made it onto the rails at the train station, and I saved her before she was killed. But I couldn't get out of the way in time. She doesn't know who her parents are, and no one has filled a missing child report on her. "

"An orphan, then?"

"Perhaps so," I replied. "But tonight... Tonight just shows that she won't be safe around me. I can't be selfish and allow her to get her hurt because of my status as an angel now. They will just keep attacking until they succeed and hurt her... O-Or worse. I can't allow that."

Shamal stared at me for a moment, before beginning to smile a little. "So... you are assuming what happened tonight was because they were targeting _you_?"

"Well, what do you mean? They were demons. That's what they do," I replied.

"Demons attack humans and angels stop them, Nanoha. Demons don't attack angels directly. They do defend themselves when an angel attacks them, though," she reminded me.

"Well, maybe they were attacking her to punish me indirectly?" I ventured.

"If that were the case, your family would have already been attacked as well, wouldn't you think?" she continued.

"S-So, you're saying they meant to attack Vivio specifically then, and it really had nothing to do with me?"

"I think the attack was thought out carefully, making sure you were alone with her and in no position to defend her. But no, I don't think you were a factor in the reason behind it," she proposed.

"Well, what should I do then?" I asked helplessly. "I can't defend her! Not if it is like tonight, or if the attacks get worse."

"You're right, you can't," Shamal agreed. "You would need quite a few angels to succeed in protecting her, honestly."

"Wait, what are you saying exactly?"

Shamal reached across the table and held my hand. "Nanoha, there are many reasons angels exist on Earth, and one is to protect and act as guardians over humanity. It's not always about performing exorcisms, or shooting demons with crazy guns, like certain Italians prefer..." she muttered.

"Sometimes," she added, "it's merely us standing beside the smallest and weakest together, and ensuring they are safe and protected at all times."

I dropped my head at her words and allowed the tears I had been holding back to finally fall. I brought both hands to my face and sobbed for a few minutes, as all the fear and worry that I had unknowingly been carrying around for the past week felt like it was finally being lifted from my shoulders.

As I was wiping away my tears and smiling a little at Shamal again, we heard the front door of the house open. Shortly after the door shut, a girl my age with chin length brown-hair walked through the kitchen entrance in front of me.

"Oh Shamal, are you taking tips from Signum on how to break girls' hearts?" she teased, leaning over to hug her from behind. She then gave her a kiss on the cheek, before turning to smile at me.

"I'm Hayate," she added. "You must be Nanoha?"

I nodded. "Yes. Thank you for allowing me in your home," I replied gratefully.

She came to stand next to me, and suddenly she bent down and gave me a half hug as well. "Of course! You are always welcome. It's nice to know we have such a strong ally in the fight."

"Hayate," Shamal began, her voice now becoming serious, "Nanoha has a little girl that she has been caring for. And the girl was specifically targeted by the demons tonight."

Hayate looked alarmed as she glanced between us. "What happened? Where is the girl now?"

"Vivio is in the guest room," Shamal informed her. "Fate, Ginga, and Subaru helped save her tonight."

Hayate sat down in a chair at the table with a thud, her eyes wide open as she stared at Shamal after her statement. She then turned to look at me with the same expression.

"I guess that's pretty shocking, huh?" I mentioned.

"Well, a little. But not exactly," Hayate replied. "It's our jobs to protect humans, of course. So it wasn't much like they had a choice in the matter. It is still a bit out of character for them, though. I just never would have guessed it is all."

"Have you told Lindy what happened yet?" Shamal asked me.

I shook my head. "I haven't had a chance. She has warned me several times to be careful, and hinted I shouldn't get attached to Vivio. But I doubt she ever thought she would be attacked directly like that."

Hayate held up her hand. "Why don't you let me talk to Lindy, if you would? She and I have some other things to discuss anyway. I assume Vivio will be staying here for the time being?" she asked Shamal.

"I've already offered it to Nanoha, since we have enough people here to protect the girl at all times," she replied.

"I really feel like I'm imposing on you all somehow - ?" I began.

Hayate raised an eyebrow at me. "Imposing how? By asking us to protect a human child in danger, when we have all the means to do so? We would be pretty shitty guardian angels if we said no, don't you think?"

I couldn't argue with her statement, so I just smiled and looked at the table, allowing relief to completely wash over me.

"You should head home and get some rest, Nanoha," Shamal told me. "You may be a crazy super-angel already, but you still need to take care of yourself. I'm sure tending to a five year old on top of everything else has to have taken a toll on you."

I was reluctant to leave Vivio, but I also knew Shamal's words were true. I wasn't feeling as strong as I had been when I first began training a week ago, but I could also sense it wouldn't take long to full recover either.

"Okay, but I'll be back first thing tomorrow, before I have to meet with Lindy," I told them. "Vivio might be scared if she wakes up and I'm not around for too long."

Hayate and Shamal smiled, before walking me to the door to see me off for the evening. I gave them each a huge hug and thanked them sincerely for caring for Vivio, before taking my temporary reprieve for the evening.

**oOOOo**

I opted to stay at my parent's home that evening above Midorya in my old bedroom, since it was closer to Hayate and Shamal's home than my apartment was. It was not uncommon for me to stay there after a particularly long day at college, or if I was working the late shift for my parents at the cafe.

As I approached the entrance to the cafe, I retrieved the keys from my pocket, fumbling around with them a little bit in the dark. I dropped them once, and after picking them up and attempting to finally slide the key into the lock, I heard a frantic voice yell from behind me.

"Help! Nanoha, please! It's Fate and Ginga!" yelled Subaru, one of the girls who helped save Vivio earlier that evening. She was now running up to me from the street around the corner.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked.

She grasped her hands to her head, grabbing her hair between her fingers as she frantically paced. "They are being attacked right now. I can't stop it! Please, you have to help them!"

I immediately dropped my backpack on the porch. "Where?!" I shouted.

"The alleyway!" she replied, beginning to run back in the direction she came from. "Behind the bar! It's Jail's Crown Princes, Nanoha!"

I created a barrier as I simultaneously leapt over Subaru, quickly flying over to the alleyway in question. I arrived a few seconds later, running into the entrance of the alley as I landed.

"Where are you?!" I shouted as I jogged, quickly scanning the alley in front of me.

I was near the middle of the alleyway when I discovered Fate and Ginga sitting on the ground near a dumpster, with two creatures in human form hovering over them. Fate was sitting up against the alley wall, being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach with a large knife by one of the creatures. She seemed to be unconscious as the creature relentlessly attacked her. Ginga was leaned against the dumpster next to her, being repeatedly kicked and punched by the other one.

The creatures noticed my presence, and pulled themselves off from the two girls to approach me.

"Looking for us?!" hissed the one that had been attacking Ginga, wiping some blood of its face with the back of his arm. The creature who had been stabbing Fate brought the blade up to its mouth, licking the blood off one side of it.

"Hmmm," it began, coming closer to me. "If her blood is this fucking good... I wonder what she tastes somewhere _else_?" it said with a moan, smirking at me before licking the blood off its lips maniacally.

I raised my hand in front of me. "Shame you'll never find out," I replied evenly, before emitting a blast in their direction that sent them both flying against the back wall of the alley in an instant. Their two bodies exploded on impact, leaving only bloody pieces to slide down the wall and onto the ground.

Subaru had arrived in the alley just in time to see the creatures' forms being destroyed. She stopped running immediately and stared in shock at the remains as they fell to the ground, her skin going pale.

"Think about that later. You need to help her now," I said, pointing down to Ginga. I released the barrier around us, and the gory aftermath against the wall disappeared along with it.

Subaru appeared dazed for another few seconds, before seemingly snapping out of it and looking down at Ginga. Her wounds seemed less severe than Fate's did, but I knew it was going to take some time for her to heal from the injuries.

She bent down and picked Ginga up, placing her over her shoulder to carry her. "What about Fate?" she asked as she looked down at the blond, her face wracked with worry.

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I'll watch over her tonight. Let's head back to my parent's place."

I bent over to assess Fate's injuries, and I noticed that she had been stabbed in the abdomen about a dozen times, the wounds deep. I reached under her and picked her up bridal style, cradling her cold and limp body in my arms.

"Let's hurry, Subaru," I told her, as the both of us began our journey back to the cafe from the alleyway.

It took us about ten minutes to arrive at Midorya with Fate and Ginga, and Subaru was able to maneuver her arm to insert the key into the lock and let us into the building.

I made a motion that we had to be quiet as we entered, although I knew it would be an extremely difficult task, with having to carry our two injured companions inside as well. I made a motion for Subaru to follow behind me, and we quietly made our way up the stairs to the house above the cafe.

I slowly inserted the key into the lock of the entry door from the inner landing at the top of the stairs, giving us access inside. Subaru followed me down the hallway, and I pointed to the door of the guest bedroom, which used to be my older sister's bedroom. She nodded, quietly turning the doorknob and slipping herself and Ginga inside.

I opened my old bedroom door as well, maneuvering Fate and I inside undetected, and I let out a sigh of relief as I finally closed the door behind me. I then crossed the room and placed Fate on the bed, and she moaned a little as I removed my arms from around her.

I exited the room silently, heading for the bathroom to retrieve some towels and a plastic wash basin from under the sink. I filled it full of warm water, before I crossed back through the hallway and back into the bedroom, locking the door behind me.

I sat down on the edge of the bed next to Fate, deciding the best course of action to help treat her wounds. I lifted up her shirt to expose her abdomen, noting that the wounds were no longer bleeding and were slowly beginning to heal. I decided it would be best to tend to the small wounds on her face first, before attempting the larger gashes. I soaked the towel in the warm water before I moved it over her face.

"Fate-chan...? It's me, Nanoha," I said quietly as a warning, in case she was conscious at all and apprehensive about being touched at the moment. I saw her head twitch a little and her eyebrows raise up slightly in response.

I ran the towel across the wound on her forehead to clean it, and then down her cheek where it appeared she had been cut by the knife. She leaned her head into my hand and grimaced a little against the towel. I moved it over to a small cut on her corner of mouth next, just as I observed a tear escape her eye and slide down her cheek. I returned the towel to soak in the basin, mentally preparing myself for what I had to do next.

"Sorry, Fate-chan..." I said as I gently maneuvered her shirt above her chest. I then slid each arm out of the sleeves carefully, before holding her head up to remove it completely from her body. I then removed her bra, noting that she had been stabbed in the sternum and chest, so I decided to clean those injuries first.

I retrieved the damp towel again, wiping away all the excess blood around the wounds around her chest. They were no longer bleeding either, but it seemed her healing had slowed in the past few minutes. Her breathing began to accelerate, and I realized her adrenaline and shock were probably wearing off, now being replaced by the pain setting in.

"You can't die, but you can certainly suffer," I whispered to her sadly, as I rinsed the towel in the basin again. I began to wipe away all the blood I could from her abdomen, taking care to not cause any further pain for her.

Once her wounds were cleaned, I placed the wash basin and Fate's bloody shirt underneath the bed for now. There was still her jeans that were covered in blood, but I didn't observe any cuts or injuries to her legs, so I opted not to remove her jeans for now.

I returned my gaze to Fate's face and pushed her hair back from her forehead, away from the gash that her hair was now sticking to a little. "You didn't deserve this," I told her quietly, fighting back tears for her, before I ran my hand along her uninjured cheek.

"Thank you for saving Vivio," I added, leaning over and placing a kiss on the cut on her forehead, letting it linger for a few moments. When I pulled back, I observed the wound quickly begin to close. It healed itself within ten seconds completely, leaving no trace of injury behind.

My breath caught in my throat at the site of her now uninjured forehead, before I then focused on the cut on her cheek. I pressed my lips to it gently to try again, and as soon as I pulled back the cut began to heal as well. Fate's pained expression seemed to lessen after the two wounds were gone, and her breathing became less rapid. I then turned my attention to her chest and abdomen.

"Sorry again, Fate-chan..." I said, before hovering over her chest and pressing my lips against the smaller of the two stab wounds. With the size of the injury, I could begin to feel a little of my own energy exit my body as I kissed the wound. I opened my eyes, seeing it too was beginning to close and heal. I made my way to the other injury on her sternum, expelling more energy as she healed there as well.

I decided it would be best if I repositioned my body to access the wounds on her abdomen at a better angle, so I entered onto the bed fully next to her. I leaned my body against Fate's legs as my head hovered over her stomach. I took a deep breath, knowing I was probably about to lose a lot of strength in the next process. I addressed each injury slowly and carefully, allowing time for them to heal before moving on to the next.

I was beginning to feel a shortness of breath in response to the energy I was expending, and I noticed at one point that Fate's breathing was beginning to accelerate again as well. I moved my upper body to rest completely on top of legs, leaning on my elbows that were placed on either side her stomach, and closing my eyes and pressing my lips to her wounds more hurriedly in response. I moved my arms under her lower back to pull her up closer to me, willing myself to keep going as I became increasingly tired.

I wasn't aware that Fate had put her hands in my hair, and was holding my head as I moved across her stomach, until I felt her clench her fingers in my hair a little. I looked up at her from my position from below her, and noticed she was now fully conscious. Her expression was filled with confusion and shock as she looked down at me, still breathing heavily. I glanced back down at her stomach, noticing all the wounds were closed and almost completely healed. I was now unsure how long I had been kissing there, even after it had no longer been necessary.

"Nano...ha...?" she said quietly, her eyes now brimming with tears as she searched mine. I pulled myself away from her and smiled a little to myself, before I crawled up the bed to hover above her, bringing my face close to hers. I bent down and kissed her last wound at the corner of her mouth, not removing my lips until it had completely disappeared.

I then fell onto the bed next to her in exhaustion, allowing myself to lose consciousness, with Fate's concerned face the last image I saw before my vision faded to black.

**oOOOo**

**Fate POV**

I stared at Nanoha's sleeping face for few moments, still in complete shocked by what I had just experienced. I didn't remember how I came to be laying in the bed, as my consciousness was only restored when I felt pressure against my burning stomach.

When I had looked down, I had discovered Nanoha's lips pressed against one of a series of stab wounds I had received earlier. I had then watched in utter disbelief as my wound closed underneath her lips, before she moved on to the next laceration.

I now glanced down at my half exposed body, seeing that I still had my jeans on, which were soaked in blood. I noticed some of it had gotten onto the comforter and had stained it red. I glanced over at Nanoha again, realizing her clothes were covered in my blood as well.

I looked away and pulled my knees up to my chest, absently running my finger along the threading of my pants as I stared in front of me, contemplating what I should do next. I was torn with knowing that my mother was expecting me home to report our findings on the new angel, but also not wanting to leave Nanoha in her current state beside me.

After making my decision, I walked across the room and pulled open one of the dresser drawers, retrieving a t-shirt from one of the neatly folded piles within. I opened the next drawer down, finding a pair of jeans that looked like the could fit me. After dressing myself, I retrieved another t-shirt from the drawer, which I placed on top of the dresser.

I walked back across the room to stand next to the bed, and I bent over and cradled her in my arms. I carried her across the room to an armchair that was next to the dresser, placing her gently in it. She didn't make any motions of waking up despite all the movement.

"I'm going to fix the bed really quick, okay?" I said to her still sleeping face.

I stripped the comforter and top sheet off the bed, leaving only the fitted sheet on the mattress, and I was grateful to see that my blood hadn't soaked through that far. I flipped the pillow over, noting a few drops of blood had made it from my face onto the one side of it. I walked over to the closet and found an extra blanket that had been stored in it, which I retrieved and placed at the foot of the bed.

I then turned back to face Nanoha, laughing a little when I realized what I was about to do.

"I won't look," I promised her quietly. I removed her shirt and bra gently, throwing them on top of the comforter across the room. I replaced them with the t-shirt I had placed before on top of the dresser, before looking at her blood-soaked jeans and blushing a little.

"_Get your shit together, Fate,_" I scolded myself. I unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, removing them the best I could from her legs, although it was a bit difficult to do with her in her current sitting position. Once she was down to just the t-shirt and underwear, I scooped her up again into my arms. I crossed the room and placed her gently on top of the bed, and then unfolded the extra blanket and placed it over her body.

I bent over to whisper in her ear. "I have to go now. But thank you, Nanoha." I kissed her lightly on her temple, and she hummed a little bit as she snuggled into the blanket a little.

"Fate..chan..." she muttered with a small smile.

I shook my head to gather my resolve to leave her side, standing straight up and turning my back to the bed. I opened the bedroom door to exit, and was shocked to see Subaru standing outside of it, her hand posed as if she were just about to knock on the door.

Her eyes flew open in surprise as she looked me up and down in disbelief, and was about to speak when she seemed to remember she had to be quiet. She moved a few steps away, opening the door across from where I was standing and pointed inside the room. I spotted Ginga on the bed inside, sitting up on the edge of it, holding her head in her hands.

I motioned for Subaru to come closer. "I'll go open the front door. You get Ginga," I whispered to her. She nodded, walking inside the room while I made my way to the living room. I opened the door as quietly as I could, and after a moment Subaru and Ginga were crossing through the living room towards me. One of Ginga's arms was wrapped around Subaru's shoulder in support, as she stumbled a little through the doorway.

We went down the stairs and exited the cafe's front door onto the street, heading home as quickly as we could so that we could report our findings that evening to my mother.

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**A/N:** Until next time! =^..^= ~Nissanity~


	3. Chapter 3 - The Tangled Web We Weave

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 3****__**** – The Tangled Web We Weave**

* * *

******Fate POV**

"What happened to her?" my mother asked, staring down at Ginga as she kicked the side of the couch. Ginga was laying on it unconscious, still healing from her wounds after we arrived home that evening. I had managed to grab a quick shower and changed out of Nanoha's clothes before my mother had found me in the living room.

"We were attacked by a couple of Jail's Crown Princes at the bar," I responded, rubbing the spot on my head where one of them had hit me with a beer bottle earlier.

"Which ones?" my mother asked, crossing her arms and turning towards me.

"Due and Tre," I responded.

"Hmmm," she said, looking back at Ginga. "Lucky it wasn't Uno or Quattro..." she mused.

We both continued to look down at the couch as Ginga grimaced and moaned, and I waited for the inevitable question to come from my mother.

"Any reason why?" she finally asked slowly.

I shrugged. "We protected a human child after Jail summonsed his demons, and they didn't like it," I tried to answer simply. My mother looked at me disbelievingly.

"Subaru!" she suddenly yelled. "Get your ass in here right now!"

I heard Subaru jog down the hallway from her bedroom, and she entered into the living room hurriedly where we were standing. "Yes, ma'am?" she said as she stood before my mother.

"Who was the child you protected?" my mother asked her.

"Who, Vivio? Nanoha's girl?" Subaru replied innocently.

I glared at her from beside my mother, trying to convey to her not to say anything more. She was too busy staring in fear at my mother to notice my expression.

"And who is this 'Nanoha'?" she pressed.

Subaru paused, now not sure how to answer the question. My mother took a step towards her menacingly, and I decided to intervene on her behalf.

"It's Lindy's new angel, Mother," I conceded, and braced myself as I waited for her angry response. When one did not come, I opened an eye cautiously to glance at her, and was surprised to find her lost in thought instead.

"So Lindy's angel has a girl that has caught their attention, huh?" she pondered.

"Mother...?" I ventured after a moment.

"No child could survive if they are the target of all their wrath," she replied. "It's only a matter of time until they get her. And then, perhaps... Lindy's new angel will fall with her."

My body tensed and I balled my hand into a fist tightly, my fingernails digging into my palm and drawing blood a little. I remained silent, disgusted with my mother's desire for Nanoha to become a fallen angel.

"Anything else to report?" she asked me casually.

"No," I said through gritted teeth. Before I could walk away, my mother received a call on her cellphone.

"Yes...? I see. Where at...? What, one of the Japanese is already there?! I told you to... Fine, I'll send her," she growled. My mother hung up the phone and looked at me.

"That was dispatch. Rein said there is a new possession. You need to get there before Jail summons the demons," she informed me.

"What?! I can't go without Ginga!" I protested, pointing down to her on the couch. "Besides, you said one of Lindy's crew is already there. It's probably Chrono, so it's pointless to go." I thought of Nanoha's unconscious form in her bed, willing myself not to show any reaction to what I knew of her current state.

My mother grabbed me harshly by the face and stared in my eyes closely. "You will go there, and you will save that fucking soul first!" she informed me darkly. "Take Subaru if you're so worried about it."

My mother glared at me for a few seconds more, before letting my face go and turning away from me. She walked down the hallway and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.

I rubbed my face as I stared down the hallway at the path she had just taken. "Let's go, Subaru," I finally mumbled.

**oOOOo**

I pressed the buttons on the car radio a few times as I drove, trying to find something worth listening to. I finally gave up when I realized I actually wasn't interested in listening to music at the moment, and pressed the power button to shut it off.

"So, what happened at Nanoha's?" Subaru asked me, breaking the silence in the car.

I narrowed my eyes a little as I stared out of the front windshield. "I don't know," I replied honestly. "Nanoha healed me, apparently."

I saw Subaru look over to me quickly from the corner of my eye. "Healed you?" she asked.

"Yeah, she... touched me and it helped me heal faster than I ever had before."

Subaru hummed a little. "Never heard of that sort of thing before. She really is unique for an angel."

"It took a toll on her though," I added. "She gave a lot of her energy to me, to the point she passed out."

"That's not good. You'll have to find a way to thank her somehow," Subaru mentioned. I looked over at her and smiled, finding her innocent train of thought a little amusing.

"We're here," I said as we pulled up to the address we were given by dispatch.

"Is that Tea?" Subaru asked, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look.

"It is. Huh, I wonder what she's doing here...?" I murmured as I exited my side of the car.

"Tea! Hey, how's it going?" Subaru asked cheerfully as she jogged towards Teana.

"Hey," Teana responded evenly.

"Where's Chrono?" I asked as I approached her as well on the sidewalk.

Teana unholstered her two weapons, both Glock 19's. "He was transferred to the American branch a few days ago. Carim was down to just Amy as her only angel." She began checking over the guns as she spoke.

"Oh yeah?" I said casually, trying not to show that I was too interested in the affairs of the Japanese branch.

"The Commissioner's said that our team was too strong with Nanoha now," she replied. "They said if Chrono stayed, we could become a monopoly and that's not allowed."

"So what are you doing here then?" I inquired further.

Teana didn't look up at me. "I can learn from all different types of angels, so I came to observe you. If that's okay with you, of course?" she added. I shrugged, even though I knew she could be helpful without Ginga to assist me.

"I guess you'll be trying to earn your wings even faster then?" Subaru mentioned to her. I noticed a hint of sadness in her voice, and I assumed she was worried that Teana would somehow be leaving her behind if that were the case.

Teana checked her ammunition quickly, before she spun the guns expertly and holstered them on her hips again. "It'll happen when it does," she responded non-chalantly.

"You sure you don't want to join our branch instead?" I asked her, impressed with her abilities to handle the weapons.

She smiled a little as she looked towards the house we were needed at. "Yeah, right. Precia scares me more than any demon or Crown Prince out there," she scoffed.

As we were all heading up the front walkway, a girl with purple hair about our age opened the front door. "Are you all the... priests?" she asked, confusion and desperation in her voice.

"Sure," I responded. "Someone here is possessed, you believe?"

"Yes, I know she is." The girl opened the front door widely. "Please come in. Hurry! Alisa has been sick for days, but it has only gotten this bad in the past hour!"

"What's your name?" Teana asked her, as the group began walking through the living room to the back bedrooms. We stopped in front of a plain white door, which led to the bedroom farthest to the back of the house.

"Suzuka," she replied. "Alisa is my roommate. Please... I can't handle seeing her like that," she said, her voice shaking.

I placed my hand on the handle of the door, but paused as I turned my head toward the girl. "You have to stay out here," I informed Suzuka over my shoulder.

"But - ? " she began.

"No," I told her firmly. "If you want us to save her, you have to stay out until we tell you to come in."

Suzuka began to sob, but she nodded her head in compliance. I cracked the door open, immediately spotting a blond-haired girl in the upper corner of the bedroom, her body crouched up against the two walls. Her head spun around unnaturally when she heard the door to the room open, and she growled at us from deep within her chest. It was the demonic sound I was all to familiar with.

I shut the door again. "Teana, Subaru. I'll need you go back me up, okay? I won't be able to hold the barrier and perform the exorcism if I am being attacked by extra demons at the same time."

The two girls agreed, and Teana began to attach short silencers to her guns. "Sorry, just a second," she told us. Suzuka stared at Teana, her face horrified before it crumbled again.

"Alisa will be safe, don't worry," I assured her, although there was no real way to predict that outcome. "Come on, guys. It's time."

I pushed open the door wide enough to enter, sliding into it with Teana and Subaru following close behind. Alisa crawled from the corner of the bedroom across the ceiling, eventually ending up on the opposite side of the room.

Teana immediately ran to the window at the back of the bedroom and looked outside. "It leads out to the street," she informed me. I grimaced at the news, never taking my eyes off of Alisa as I assessed her possession and created a barrier.

"Teana, you be ready by the window. Subaru, you help me tie her down to the bed. We'll grab the girl and perform the exorcism there," I instructed. "Hurry up."

Subaru grabbed an armchair from the other side of the room, and placed it in the corner below the possessed girl, trying to position herself so that Alisa couldn't cross the ceiling again. I stood up on the bed, ready to intercept her if she crossed in front of me.

The possessed girl took the route I had been hoping, narrowly avoiding capture before I grabbed one of her legs. She turned around and scratched at me across the arm as she screamed wildly. She drew blood as her claws dug deep into my skin.

"Fuck! That hurts!" I yelled as I pulled her away from the wall and towards the bed. Subaru was right beside me, grabbing a hold of her shoulders to pin her down. I threw the pillow away from under her head and straddled her waist, removing the rosary from under my shirt and kissing it once.

"_We beseech You to make powerless, banish, and drive out every diabolic power, presence, and machination..._" I began reciting, pressing the cross to the girl's forehead. I pushed her head back under her chin with my free hand, and the cross burned her skin when it made contact. Her legs started trashing below me as she screamed, the sounds and smells of sizzling flesh filling my senses.

Subaru retrieved the straps from her sweater pocket to tie the girl down, attempting to secure the girls arms to the bed, as I continued reciting the exorcism prayer. Subaru accidentally let one of her arms get too close to the possessed girl's mouth, and she clamped down on it hard at the opportunity.

"Ah, cut it out!" Subaru shouted in pain. I pushed the girl's head into the bed harder as Subaru freed her arm. Blood dripped down from her wound, but Subaru did not stop trying to secure her arms.

"_...every evil influence, malefice, or evil eye, and all evil actions aimed against your servant Alisa,_" I continued.

"We've got company!" Teana warned from behind me. I saw Alisa's possessed eyes flash as she maneuvered her head out of my grasp, and looked up past me towards the window excitedly. I pushed her head back down against the bed and pressed the cross down on her forehead again.

"_Where there is evil and malice, give us an abundance of goodness, endurance, victory, and charity._" I turned around to look at the window. "How much time?!" I yelled to Teana. Alisa gave a blood-curdling scream beneath me.

"Five seconds," Teana replied, standing at the edge of the bed and pointing her gun at window. "Get ready!"

Subaru finished securing the girl's arms. "Done!" she shouted, and then drew her 9mm from her holster under her arm. She stood on the other side of the bed with her weapon pointed at the window.

"_O Lord, You who love mankind, we beg You to reach out Your powerful hands and Your most - _" I was interrupted when I heard the window break behind me, the sounds of demons trying to enter through it startling me. There was the immediate sounds of Teana's and Subaru's silenced guns firing at the intruders after.

"_...Your most high and mighty arms and come to our aid ! Help us - _" I shouted down at the girl, who was violently thrashing about under me. I retrieved a bottle of holy water from my back pocket and splashed some on her face and body. It burned where it landed on her, and I watched her body begin to relax, her eyes starting to return to normal.

"Fate, watch out!" I heard Teana yell suddenly. I immediate ducked down, and felt a bullet whiz above my head. Teana took out a demon that had gotten past Subaru, and was about to land on me. It disappeared as soon as the bullet hit it in the head.

I looked back down at the possessed girl, who appeared to be normal again. "Yeah, right..." I muttered to myself. "_Help us, who are made in Your image, send the angel of peace over us, to protect us body and soul!_" Alisa reared up again, the demon seemingly giving it's last effort to remain in possession of the girl.

I felt the weight of the bed shift behind me. "I'm taking this position!" Teana yelled to Subaru, and I glanced back to see her now standing on the bed over our legs. She continued to expertly take out demons still flooding into the window.

Suddenly, the roar from behind me stopped completely, and Alisa's body went limp underneath me. I recognized the calm that came after a particularly bad possession like that, and I exited off the bed and stood by the edge of it. I released the barrier and replaced the rosary around my neck, kissing it once more before tucking it under my shirt.

"You guys ready?" I asked Subaru and Teana.

Teana was already removing her silencers. "Ow, hot!" she commented as she touched them with her bare fingers, before pocketing them. She then returned her weapons to her hips.

Subaru wiped some sweat from her brow and nodded as she holstered her weapon again. She then looked down at her arm where it had been bitten, wincing in pain. "Maybe I should go see a doctor?" she mentioned.

"I'll go with you," Teana told her. "I just have to drop off the Glocks first."

"Thanks, Tea," Subaru replied. I didn't say anything about Teana accompanying Subaru to the hospital, as I instead checked the girl on the bed one last time for signs of possession. My mother had never paid much attention to the friendship between Teana and Subaru, so I knew it was safe for her to be accompanied by Lindy's trainee to the hospital.

Alisa was starting to regain normal consciousness, so I figured it best to leave her with her roommate. As we exited the bedroom, Suzuka rushed in and hugged Alisa around the neck. She was crying and trying to thank us, but we were already halfway through the living room at that point.

"You sure you'll be alright?" I asked Subaru as we entered onto the front lawn. I retrieved another cigarette from my pack, and began searching my pockets for my lighter.

Before I could light it, I noticed Teana's dark orange aura starting to glow a little outside of her body. She lifted off the ground a few feet before her back arched suddenly. She closed her eyes, and a white burst of light emitted from her back. It then began to glow softly behind her, her aura growing brighter as her wings began to form.

"Whoa..." Subaru said as she smiled up at her friend, now floating above us.

"God damnit," I muttered, thinking of how pissed my mother would be with this new development.

"Don't use the Lord's name in vain," Teana scolded playfully, opening one eye to look down at me.

I placed the unlit cigarette behind my ear, remembering that Ginga didn't want me to smoke in her car as I opened the driver's side door.

"I'll see you when you get home, Subaru," I told her as I got in. "Although I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back."

As I shut the door and drove away, I watched Teana float back down to the ground in my rear view mirror. Subaru gave her a hug as I turned the corner, and I left that new problem behind me for the moment. I drove back to my house, taking the longest route I could think of before I arrived at home. The sun was beginning to rise as I pulled into the driveway of my house.

I opened the front door softly, just in case I was fortunate enough for my mother to be in her bedroom and not in the living room. To my surprise, the living room was completely empty, including the couch where Ginga had been. I walked softly down the hallway and opened her bedroom door, finding that she had made her way to her bed and was asleep.

Exhausted after the long night I had just been through, I turned to my own bedroom door and opened it quietly. I didn't bother to undress before I crawled into bed, and was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

**oOOOo**

"So are you going to sleep all evening too, or what?" I heard a voice from above me. My eyes flew open, and I saw Ginga peering down at me.

"Ginga!" I exclaimed, sitting up slowly in the bed. "You're okay now?"

"No, I'm stressed out," she responded. "There is a double possession and your mother is flipping out. She wants us to get over there right away."

I groaned as I sat up completely. "Anyone else there yet?" I replied, reaching for my shoes.

"Nanoha and Teana are already on their way, and Subaru is with them. I'm not sure what the Germans are up to," she told me.

"And the Americans?" I asked as I grabbed my jacket.

"Who fucking knows?! Let's just get going." She was already heading out my bedroom door.

We quickly exited through the front door and made our way to the driveway. I entered into the passenger seat of Ginga's car, now really resenting that I couldn't smoke in her vehicle. I tapped my leg nervously on the floorboard.

"I'm gonna get you some of that gum," she mentioned, noticing the vibrations of my foot.

"Just drive," I said grumpily.

We made it to our destination within ten minutes, which was a back alleyway downtown. As we walked towards the center of it, I observed Subaru and Teana subduing what looked to be a homeless person on the ground. Signum was standing over them, reciting an exorcism prayer. Nanoha was standing beside Signum, her arm raised as she held a barrier around them. There was already an unconscious person laying next to still possessed human.

"Looks like we're too late again," I informed Ginga as we got closer. She moaned dejectedly in response.

The homeless person went limp underneath Teana and Subaru's grasp, signaling the end of the demon's possession. Nanoha quickly released the barrier afterward.

"Sorry, we just happened to be in the area," Teana told us.

I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Don't apologize," I told her. "It's what you are supposed to do."

"Hey, Fate-chan," Nanoha said as she raised up, looking at me cautiously.

"Nanoha," I greeted in return. "I'm glad to see you are doing well."

Nanoha narrowed her eyes at me. "Was that sincere? What you just said?"

I frowned at her. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, maybe because you left last night without seeing if I was okay?" she replied, her voice starting to sound heated.

"What?! You were passed out!" I responded loudly. "What was I supposed to do?!"

Nanoha yanked the cigarette out of my mouth, dropped it on the ground and stomped it out with her foot. "Do you think it was easy for me to explain all that blood to my parents? Your help with that would have been appreciated!"

"You and your parents are not my problem!" I shouted. "I don't even know them!"

"But it was your blood!" she countered.

"You didn't have to come get me. That was _your_ choice."

"Fine then, maybe I won't next time!" She pushed me a little bit on the shoulder, and I stepped closer to her.

"Okay, I think this has gone on long enough," Ginga said, stepping between us. "Maybe you two can hash it out some other time?"

"It won't be necessary," I replied, looking directly at Nanoha. She glared at me in return, although there was a hint of rejection in her eyes that I could detect.

Both of our heads shot up quickly as we heard a demonic scream from the roof above us. I looked back down at Nanoha. "Didn't you guys get them all?!" I shouted at her.

"Rein said there were only two!" she yelled back.

Teana immediately created a barrier around the area. "Shut up and get it already!" she ordered us.

Nanoha and I both jumped and flew to the rooftops, going in separate directions to begin our search. I ran quickly, all my senses tuned to finding the possessed human. I saw Ginga and Signum join us to search other rooftops as well.

"Any sign of it?" I shouted towards Ginga.

"Only for a second! It's more powerful than usual though, I think!" she responded.

I turned the corner near a rooftop door enclosure, and was immediately sent flying backwards into the air. The sudden impact had stunned me, and when I regained my senses I realized I had been thrown off the roof of the building and was about to hit the pavement below face-first. I braced for impact, knowing the damage to my body would be severe from that height.

I felt my body collide with something before I hit the ground, and the pain that I was expecting to experience did not occur. I had my eyes squeezed shut, and when I opened them slowly I found Nanoha underneath me.

"What the...?" I began as I leaned back and hovered over her on the ground.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" she cried, wincing and putting a hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, quickly putting my hand over hers where she felt pain.

She smiled. "Yeah, I think so," she replied, her eyes now dancing a little as she looked up at me. She reached up and tucked some of my hair behind my ear, and I smiled down at her in response.

"You didn't have to - " I began.

"Demon!" Teana yelled suddenly from behind us. "Look out, you fucking idiots!"

Nanoha looked past me quickly, and rolled us out of the way just in time to avoid getting nailed by the possessed human. It had just jumped from the rooftop, and it slammed into the pavement a little as it missed us. It began running away, trying to scale the walls of the alley.

Nanoha had ended up on top of me after we rolled, and she was immediately back up and chasing the demon. She jumped up and tackled it mid air before I could even get to my feet. I heard Nanoha scream out in pain a moment later.

"Nanoha!" I shouted in a panic as I flew over to her. The demon had managed to twist her arm at an odd angle, and I feared it had been broken. My vision flashed red, and I grabbed it by the throat, picking it up a few feet before slamming it into the ground. I then began punching it as hard as I could as it laughed maniacally back at me.

"Shit, Fate! Cut it out!" Ginga yelled as she pushed me off of it. I felt Signum's wrap her arms under mine, pulling me off. I attempted to break her grasp for a few seconds before I calmed down. She let me go and began to assist Ginga with the exorcism she had just started, and Subaru joined in to hold the possessed human's body down shortly after.

I turned my attention to Nanoha, who was still laying on the ground, grimacing in pain as she held her arm. "Hey, are you okay? Nanoha?" I asked as I leaned over her.

Nanoha only nodded, her eyes still tightly shut. Ginga and Signum finished the exorcism and the human went limp. Teana dropped the barrier and ran over to us, kneeling next to Nanoha.

"Is she okay?" Teana asked me.

Nanoha opened her eyes and sat up, although I could tell it pained her to do so. "I'm okay," she tried to assure everyone.

"Teana, can you assist Nanoha home? She needs to tend to that arm," Signum requested.

"No. I'll do it," I offered before Teana could respond. Nanoha looked at me surprised for a moment, before she smiled a little and looked down. I thought I could even see her blush a little in the darkness.

Ginga stood up and handed me the keys to her car. "You owe me," she told me quietly as she smiled a little.

"At least you are in a better mood now," I responded.

"Yep! I'm gonna get paid pretty well for that one!" she replied happily, pointing down to the unconscious human.

"Well, you're welcome then," I told her before I turned my attention back to Nanoha.

"Can you walk?" I asked her.

"Yes," she replied and attempted to stand up. She immediately fell back down as she grabbed her ribs in pain.

"It got you there too, huh? Okay, up we go," I warned her as I put my arms underneath to cradle her bridal style. I stood up, and I began walking us over to where Ginga had parked her car at the end of the alley. Nanoha rested her head against my shoulder and stared down at her hands, her face now more relaxed.

"Do you want to sit in the backseat or front?" I asked her as we approached the car.

"Front," she told me. I pressed the button on the key remote to unlock the car doors, pulling it open with my closest hand. I then set her in the seat gently and buckled her in. She looked up at me with skepticism.

"Are you really the same person?" she asked me, scowling a little.

"I'm returning the favor is all," I told her as I shut the car door. I crossed over to the other side of the car, opening the driver's side door and entering it. I started the engine and began to turn towards the Midoriya Cafe.

"I live the other way," she informed me.

"Oh...?" I responded in confusion as I turned the opposite direction. "Was that not your room we were in?"

"No, you bled all over my parents' guest bedroom last night," she informed me.

"Why did you take me there then?" I inquired.

"You weren't in the best shape to go too far as it was, you know?"

"So, your parents were pretty upset when they found you?" I ventured.

"No, just... concerned," she replied. "Especially since I missed all my classes today at school. They came to find me when I was late for my shift at work this afternoon."

I didn't say anything in response, already knowing the all too familiar story of a new angel's old life beginning to fall apart around them. It had never been possible for anyone involved in our line of work to maintain a normal life outside of it. We rode in silence for a while, and occasionally Nanoha would shift uncomfortably in the seat next to me.

"And how's Vivio?" I finally asked.

I saw Nanoha visibly tense out of the corner of my eye at the subject of the little girl. "Vivio is fine. Don't worry about it," she replied.

"What kind of answer is that?" I asked, glancing over at her.

"The kind of answer I give to people who indicated they wanted nothing to do with us," she said coldly. "Turn here. Second building on the right," she suddenly instructed, pointing to an apartment complex coming up.

I turned the car and followed her instructions, pulling into one of the available spots in front of the building. Nanoha opened her car door quickly and attempted to get out, but grimaced and fell back into her seat.

I exited my side and crossed in front of the car to stand next to her open door. "What's with the sudden mood swings with you?" I asked angrily.

"I don't know!" she replied. "I can't read you at all, and it really pisses me off, okay?"

I helped her out of the car, which seemed to make her more angry, and she pushed me away from her.

"What do you want me to do?!" I yelled.

"I don't know!" she said again. "Just... stop doing conflicting things. Either hate me, or don't. But pick one and stop confusing me."

"I can't do that. Don't pretend like you don't understand."

"Then I will make the decision for you." She turned away from me and started heading up the stairs to her apartment, struggling with each step as she leaned against the railing.

I rounded the corner of the car door and opened the driver's side roughly in frustration. I then stopped and watched her struggle momentarily, before I raised my hand to check her aura. She immediately stopped when she felt me do it.

"You can't even conceal yourself right now, you are so weak," I told her. I slammed the car door shut and starting climbing up the stairs behind her.

"Just because I can't give you some black and white answer to all this," I continued, "doesn't mean I can't help you now. So stop pushing me away, okay?"

When I reached Nanoha, I looked at her face and realized that she was now crying silently. I took the set of house keys from her hand and climbed the rest of the stairs, unlocking the door to her apartment. I then returned to where she was still standing against the rail.

"Hold still," I instructed as I picked her up the same way I had before in the alley. I slowly climbed the stairs with her in my arms as she continued to cry a little into my shoulder. We entered into her barely lit apartment. and I debated on where to set her down when she spoke up.

"It feels good when you touch me, Fate-chan," she mentioned quietly.

I paused for a moment as I looked down at her. Her statement had taken me by surprise, considering the argument we had just had a few moments prior. I spotted a space on the floor at the base of the couch that looked ideal, and I walked us over to it.

I sat down on the floor with my back against the side of the couch, and then positioned Nanoha to come to rest in between my bent legs. She leaned back against my chest and placed her head on my shoulder. I reached up and took the blanket that was sitting above us on the arm of the couch, draping it over us.

"There. Now I can be touching you and there won't pressure on any of your injuries," I told her. She nodded her head against my shoulder, and she turned her head to cuddle into my neck a little.

"You're not healing as fast as you should be," I continued. "And that demon shouldn't have been able to overpower you like that. It's because you used up so much energy on me yesterday, isn't it?"

"It doesn't matter," she replied, her eyes still closed.

"But it does. Promise me you won't do that again. No matter what, okay? You can't sacrifice your own health for others. Well, at least not for other angels."

"Hmmm," she replied. "Okay, I promise," she responded.

"Good," I said, and began to rub her arm gently where it had been injured earlier. It seemed to be healing a bit faster now. "Does that feel good?" I asked.

"Um-hmm. Touch me more, Fate-chan..." Nanoha requested.

I ran my hands along her shoulders and upper arms slowly. "Like this?"

Nanoha nodded, and then shifted against me a little. "That feels good. Keep going."

I continued to run my hands along her shoulders and then down the full lengths of her arms, until I reached her hands. I began to intertwine our fingers and release them, and ran my thumbs along her palms underneath.

"Nyahaha, that tickles," she told me, now smiling.

"Sorry," I apologized, even though I had done it on purpose. I moved my hands down to her legs, beginning to rub along them as well.

"Fate...cha..." Nanoha said a little breathlessly in surprise, as my hands began to move back and forth along her upper thighs slowly under the blanket. Nanoha's breathing began to quicken the more I rubbed along her legs. I pressed my thumbs along her inner thighs, my hands continuing to move back and forth steadily. I felt Nanoha's body begin to move in rhythm in response to the pressure of my thumbs against the sensitive areas.

I trailed my hands up her waist for a moment, before moving them underneath her shirt to her stomach. The feel of her smooth, quivering skin against my hands was nearly intoxicating.

"More..." Nanoha insisted, as her right hand clenched my pants in anticipation. She took my left hand and moved it up onto her breast, above her bra under her shirt.

"Mmmm," she moaned when I began to massage her breast in my hand, her breathing now becoming more ragged and unsteady.

I pulled Nanoha closer into me with my other arm now wrapped around her abdomen, setting my eyes on her neck that was now fully exposed in front of me.

"Nanoha..." I breathed into her ear, and I felt her body melt more into me as I said her name. I trailed small kisses along her neckline, eventually sucking on her earlobe after I had made my way back up her neck.

"Ah!...Yessss..." she moaned as my fingertips finally moved to her nipple under the cloth, and I began pulling and rolling it gently. I watched her lick her lips a little with her eyes closed as she relished the stimulation.

I moved my hands away from where they were focused to slide her shirt above her head, exposing the creamy skin of her back to me. I moved to kiss along the sensitive area of her shoulder blades, and a wave of goosebumps was left in the wake of my lips on her skin.

Before I could explore her back any further, Nanoha crawled away from her current position, throwing the blanket to the side. She turned and straddled my hips and was now facing me fully, wrapping her forearms around my neck. I reached behind her to unclasp her bra and tossed it away, my eyes never leaving hers.

"Fate-chan, please... keep touching me?" she requested. She took my hands in hers, and then moved them up to her now exposed breasts.

I was mesmerized as I watched her throw her head back to the ceiling and her body tremble in front of me. I kneaded her breasts, as I continued to rolled and gently pinch her nipples with my fingertips. I could no longer hold back as I leaned forward and took one into my mouth, sucking and rolling my tongue around it.

"Oh... God... Ummm!" she whimpered as my wet tongue glided around, now sucking and nibbling hungrily at her peak. She clenched her hands in my hair and pushed my face into her breast more, and I moved an arm across her back to pull her closer to me.

I began to pay attention to her other breast, her nipple now hardening in my mouth as well, as Nanoha panted and moaned above me more.

"Fate...cha... it feels, so..." She then gasped when I bit down on her nipple, her hands pulling and digging into my hair in response.

"Nanoha..." I whispered breathlessly between the nibbles and licks, and her back arched with the sound my raspy voice calling her name again. I pulled my mouth away to begin kissing along the valley of her breasts, returning a hand to her continue fondling her as I moved my lips further up her body.

With her hands still entangled in my hair, she guided me to her neck and I hungrily kissed at her pulse point, before I bit down on it hard. Nanoha pulled my head away and brought her forehead to rest against mine, her mouth open and her eyes closed as she panted in front of me.

I was staring at her lips when I realized I had yet to actually kiss her, but I made no motion to cross that level of intimacy with her. I instead began to trail my hand down across her stomach slowly, but when I reached the button of her jeans, she removed her hand from my hair and guided my hand away.

"Wait. It's too soon for that," she told me softly as she locked our fingers together.

I pulled back to look up at her directly as we both breathed heavily, our eyes searching each others. I nodded my head in agreement after a moment, and she bent down and kissed my cheek before leaning against me. I wrapped my arms around her and embraced her in return.

"Sorry..." she began, turning her face towards my neck.

"Don't ever apologize, Nanoha," I responded. "You're right, we need to slow down. We hardly know each other."

I felt her nod as I drew her in tighter to me. It wasn't long before I felt her breathing become deeper, and I realized she had fallen asleep. Knowing we couldn't stay in that position for too long, I gently shook her awake.

"Nanoha, I'm going to lay you on the couch okay?" I asked her.

"Um-hmmm," she hummed sleepily. "Are you staying, Fate-chan?"

I paused. "For a little while longer," I finally assured her.

"That's good," she murmured as I picked her up and made our way to the couch with the blanket. I laid her down first, and crawled in next to her as I draped the blanket over us.

"_I can't stay here,_" I repeated to myself a few times as a warning, before I eventually succumbed to my own exhaustion and fell asleep next to her.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm enjoying writing this story a lot. It's nice to have more freedom to write what I wish, without the T-rating holding me back like in my other stories. Hope you all are still enjoying it too! Well, until next time, ~Nissanity~


	4. Chapter 4 - A Clean Slate

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 4****__**** – A Clean Slate**

* * *

******Nanoha POV**

I glanced over at the couch at the blond who was still occupying it, gauging whether she was going to wake up anytime soon. I smiled as I looked at the clock on the oven above the stove, realizing I had now been awake for two hours. I was making as much noise in the kitchen as possible, without Fate so much as shifting from her position as she continued to sleep on the couch.

I began to hum loudly as pulled out a skillet from the kitchen cabinet, dropping it on the burner a bit more forceful than usual. I glanced over again at the couch, and noticed that Fate finally seemed to be stirring.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you?" I asked innocently as she sat up, rubbing her eyes and face. She fumbled for her phone, frowning as she looked down at it. She then pressed a few buttons, and I assumed she was checking messages on it.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked me after a minute as she reached for her shoes at the base of the couch.

"A while," I responded, beginning to crack a few eggs I had purchased at the convenience store that morning while she had slept.

Fate only grunted in response as she stood up, and I turned around from the stove to observe her patting the pockets of her jacket and pants. She then began looking around the couch and the ground in confusion.

"I threw them out," I informed her. I watched her arms fall to the side as she stared at me in disbelief. I turned my attention back to the stove to add some bacon to the skillet.

I heard make her way over to the dining room table and sat down, and I felt her glare never leave my back, even though I couldn't actually see her. I tried to conceal a smile at the impending temper tantrum coming my way.

"You can't just do that!" Fate suddenly yelled from the table.

"Do you realize how bad those things are for you?!" I shouted back to her, slamming the spatula on the side of the skillet a little.

Fate leaned back in her chair. "It's not that easy to quit, you know?" she informed me.

"I know that," I responded. I moved away from the stove and picked up a package from the counter next to me, which I had purchased along with the ingredients for breakfast that morning. I walked over to the dining room table and handed it to her.

"What is this?" she asked, looking down at the box skeptically.

"An electronic cigarette," I responded, and then turned away from her to the stove again. "It will help you quit."

Fate tossed the box down on the table away from her. "Are you always this forceful with people?" she asked me.

"You'll thank me later," I simply replied. We were silent for a few moments as she continued to glare at me while I cooked. I eventually saw her open up the package out of the corner of my eye. I was plating our food when I saw her pull out the different parts to it.

"You have to plug it in?" she asked, holding the adapter outstretched in her hands.

"Oh yeah? I don't know, I've never used one before. I was smart enough to not start smoking in the first place," I replied, and then instantly regretted making the snide comment to her.

Fate picked up the box from the table and stood up. "Sure. Well, thanks, I guess." She began to head for the front door.

"Wait! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," I told her as I brought the two plates of food to the table. "Will you sit and eat with me first, please?"

Fate looked back at me as I set the plates down, a look of confusion on her face. "Don't you have something better to do than all this for me?" she asked me, holding up the electronic cigarette. I didn't respond as I sat in one of the chairs, and she eventually came back to sit next to me.

"I _do_ have better things to do, actually," I told her. "That's why I'm kicking you out after this. But, I figure I can at least feed you first."

She stared a me a little longer before resigning herself. She picked up her fork and began eating, and I couldn't help but notice she seemed to be enjoying the food more than she was trying to let on.

"Was your mother upset that you didn't come home last night?" I asked her cautiously.

Fate shook her head. "Subaru covered for me. But I can't do that anymore. It's not fair to her," she informed me.

I nodded. "Yeah, that probably was a mistake. Last night, I mean. It won't happen again," I affirmed, although I was unable to look up from the table at her.

I felt her eyes silently studying me from across the table after telling her my decision. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out some money, sliding it across the table to me before returning to her food.

"What's that all about?" I asked, leaving the bills in the middle of the table.

"The other night after you healed me, I was dispatched to do an exorcism. It's half of what I got paid, and I figured it's only right that you have it, since I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise," she said. "Subaru suggested I should thank you for helping me."

I immediately reached over and took the money, and put it in my pocket before returning to eat again. Fate laughed a little at me.

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I just figured you to be the type to reject the money, honestly. At least for a little while."

I shook my head. "Nope, I have bills to pay. I'm not going to say no, especially when I did kind of earn it too."

A knock came to my front door, and I stepped away from the table to answer it. I was greeted by Vita, who was scowling on the other side.

"Hey, Vita," I greeted. "I didn't think you would get here so soon?"

Vita stepped inside the door. "Yeah, it was a bit of a - " she began, before turning her attention to Fate at the dining room table. "What the fuck is she doing here?!" she asked, raising her arm up in a threatening gesture towards her. Fate continued to eat, only staring back at Vita without any reaction.

"Damnit, Vita! Fate-chan helped me last night after I got hurt," I told her. I could feel my cheeks beginning to blush a little at the thought of our time together on the floor, and I willed myself to not allow my mind to revisit the experience.

Vita lowered her arm, still staring skeptically at Fate. "I don't know what you are up to, but cut it out. Nanoha's too good for the likes of you," she then said.

"Vita!" I scolded.

I watched Fate drop her fork on her plate slowly at Vita's harsh words. She then nodded and stood up from the table.

"Hey, Nanoha... I'm going to go, okay? I've got to get back home," she said quietly. She picked up the electronic cigarette from the table, but before I could make a motion to stop her Shamal walked through the front door.

"Vivio!" I cried, grabbing the little girl from her arms. "I missed you so much baby!"

"I'm hungry, Mama," she informed me. I looked at Shamal, who put her hands on her hips at Vivio's comment.

"She wouldn't eat at the house," she told me, smiling. "She must have been pulling a fast one until she got here."

"Oh, you're too smart, Vivio! Come on, you can have some of my food. But _only_ after you say hi to my friend Fate-chan, okay?" I added.

I saw Fate tense and her eyes get a bit bigger as I approached her with Vivio in my arms. Vivio at first hid her head into my shoulder as we walked, but when we were standing in front of Fate, she looked at her cautiously. She began smiling and reached her arms out for Fate to hold her. Fate glanced at me to make sure it was okay, and when I nodded she took the little girl in her arms.

"Well, that's different," Shamal commented from behind me. I agreed silently, knowing how shy Vivio usually was when she first met strangers. Vivio began to play with Fate's hair and asking her random questions. Fate was smiling and responding as best as she could to the little girl.

"So where are we going today, Nanoha?" Vita asked in a bored voice.

"Well, I don't have classes or work, so I figured I could visit some friends of mine. One of them has been sick the past week, but apparently she started feeling better yesterday," I said.

"Oh, that sounds nice!" Shamal responded. "Have you known these friends long?"

I smiled. "Um-hmm, I've know Alisa and Suzuka since we were kids, actually."

"Alisa and Suzuka?!" Fate questioned suddenly. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and Shamal.

"What's wrong, Fate-chan?" I asked her.

Fate handed Vivio back to me quickly. "Oh, nothing. I've just... I really should go," she said as she rushed out the front door.

"I'll be back, Nanoha," Shamal told me as she began to cross through the doorway behind Fate.

"You aren't going to torture her too much, right?" I requested before she left.

Shamal waved her hand at me. "No, no! I just have to ask her about something really quick. It will be just a minute." She stepped out into the breezeway outside my apartment, and I heard her call after Fate as she shut the door behind her.

"Come on, Vivio. Let's eat, huh?" I asked, sitting us down at the table in front of my food. Vita sat down next to me, and we made idle conversation as we waited for Shamal while I fed Vivio. After about five minutes, Shamal returned, and her face looked grave and concerned.

"What is it, Shamal?" I asked.

Shamal sat down at the table next to me and took Vivio into her arms. "Nanoha... we need to talk."

**oOOOo**

"I'm here to see Lindy-san, please?" I requested to Shari, the receptionist at headquarters later that morning.

"Of course! You must be Nanoha," she replied, picking up the phone at her desk. I stepped away from her as she informed Lindy of my arrival.

"She'll see you right away," Shari informed me as she hung up. "Her office is 206. Up the stairs and to the left," she said, pointing to the right down the lobby.

"Thank you very much," I responded, heading in the direction of Lindy's office. I made my way up the staircase and down the hallway, passing by Yuuno's accounting office and Rein's dispatch call center. I waved hello to both of them before finding Lindy's office near the end.

I raised my hand to knock on the door. "Come in!" Lindy's voice called out from within before I could make a sound.

"That's a fun trick," I mentioned to her as I entered her office.

"One of the few perks of being an archangel," she replied, standing and gesturing to a seat in front of her for me to sit.

"So what brings to my office today, Nanoha?" she continued after I had settled into the chair. "Usually you are busy with school and work all day. I don't normally see you until evenings."

"That's what I came here to talk to you about, actually," I began.

"Oh, is that so?" she replied, turning her chair to the side to retrieve a coffee mug and a teapot. She offered me a cup, and I declined.

"Lindy-san, I'm not sure what to do honestly," I continued. "I just found out that one of my friends had been the victim of a possession the other night. Fate-chan saved her, but I'm starting to become more concerned."

"The Alisa Bannings case?" she replied. "My apologies, I was not aware she was your friend."

"Yes, since we were children. She and her roommate Suzuka, actually. Shamal was the one who told me, and she now thinks that humans in my life are being targeted specifically. I'm worried now, too."

Lindy began to place cubes of sugar in the green tea she had just poured for herself. "I'm not sure about that, Nanoha. That's not how it usually works. Jail achieves nothing by attacking an angel, even indirectly, since he can't harvest a soul from it. I'm sure it is just a coincidence."

I sat forward in my chair. "But what if it's not? What if the people around me keep being attacked because of me? I can't let that happen!"

Lindy poured cream in the tea next. "Well, if that were the case and you could do something about it, what would it be?"

"Well, I would want to find a way to protect them, of course," I replied.

"Nanoha, I'm sure you are aware that every angel at some point must leave their old life behind, yes?" she asked suddenly.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm aware of that. I have been trying my best to avoid it."

"I know, Nanoha. And I've watched it take a significant toll on you, honestly. But it was not my place to force the decision on you. It's important an angel decides it on their own."

"What would happen if I did make that decision?" I asked, feeling a rising sense of dread in me.

"Your family and friends would forget about your existence completely," she replied. "You would remember them, but they would not remember you."

I leaned back in my chair, allowing the tears I had been holding back to finally fall. "That seems so horrible," I whispered.

"For you, yes," Lindy replied flatly. "But not for them. They can't miss what they don't know Nanoha, so nothing will change in their lives that they will be aware of, once it goes into effect."

"I don't want to lose Vivio, though," I stated. "I won't."

"That's fine. She's under the protection of Hayate and her team anyway, so she is in good hands."

"So what do I do now?" I asked. "When will it happen?"

Lindy reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a stack of papers that were stapled together. "I would have to submit this paperwork. I will set it to go into effect at 10pm this evening, so I recommend you spend as much time with your family possible for the rest of the day."

She turned to the last page of the paperwork and pointed to a line at the bottom with a pen. "You will just have to sign here, and I will take care of the rest," she added.

I took the pen from her hand and posed myself to write my signature. My hand began to tremble as I pressed the tip of the pen down, and found that I couldn't bring myself to sign my name as I began to cry harder.

"Nanoha," Lindy said gently, "don't force yourself if you aren't ready. I can't risk you succumbing to despair over this and becoming a fallen angel, okay?

I wiped my eyes quickly and placed the pen back down to the paper, and I signed my name in shaky letters. "I'd be more likely to despair if they keep getting hurt because I was being selfish," I said as I dropped the pen on the desk.

"We'll continue that discussion later," Lindy told me, closing the papers and pulling them away from me. "Right now, you just focus on your last day with your family."

**oOOOo**

**Fate POV**

I tapped the counter twice, signaling to the bartender that I would wanted a refill on my straight whiskey on the rocks. He acknowledged the request, grabbing the bottle and making his way over to me.

"God Fate, you wanna slow down a minute?" Ginga asked, taking a sip of her gin and tonic next to me.

I laughed a little as I began to sway on the stool. "Nope," I replied slowly, downing half of my refill in one gulp.

"Well, I'm sure your mother is going to be pleased with seeing you drunk again when we get home," she replied.

"Why does she even care what I do anyway?" I replied, clumsily waving my hand.

Ginga shook her head and sighed. "I've never seen you question your mother's will before, Fate. Maybe you should be more careful for a while. You know what she might do if she get's too angry."

I scowled. "What are you trying to say, really?"

"I'm saying your fucking around with the worst angel you possibly could," she then stated bluntly. "You're pushing you luck by messing around with Nanoha, and if Precia ever finds out..."

"Don't worry about it," I told her quietly. "Nanoha doesn't want anything like that with me anyway. So there's nothing to decide."

I saw Ginga glance over at me a few times. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Because she told me so herself this morning," I replied.

"Well, at least Lindy's new angel isn't an idiot then," Ginga muttered.

"Are you saying I'm not good enough for her?" I asked, thinking of Vita's words this morning.

Ginga gave me a sarcastic look. "I'm saying that Nanoha isn't going to let you risk things with your nutcase of an archangel for her sake. I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with how she feels about you personally."

"Although... you really aren't good enough for her, you piece of shit for an angel," I heard suddenly come from the seat next to me.

I turned to face the offending voice. "Hello, Quattro," I responded evenly before I took another sip of my drink. "Come to finish what Due and Tre started?"

Quattro leaned her back against the bar as she looked out at the dance floor. "No, I'd rather not get my hands dirty. I prefer watching you all screw yourselves. It's a lot more fun."

"Whatever," I said indifferently.

"But that Nanoha, she really fucked up our plans today," Quattro continued. I quickly looked over at her. "Ah, yes, that got your attention, didn't it. Like her little puppy dog."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her angrily through gritted teeth.

She waved her hand at my face. "Ha! Like I would tell you."

"Then why are you even here, you goddamn lunatic?" Ginga said from beside me, slamming her drink down on the counter.

Quattro smiled. "You Italians and your temper! Which is going to work out in our favor completely here soon enough, of course"

I stood up from the counter and threw some bills in front of me on it. "We need to find a new bar," I told Ginga as we began to walk away.

"Just remember, Fate. No good deed goes unpunished," she warned from behind me, before laughing maniacally as we exited.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Ginga asked me as we started walking down the sidewalk toward the car.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," I replied. "But we will find out when it happens. You want to go get something to eat?"

"Yeah, I could go for some - " she began, but was interrupted by her cellphone ringing.

"Hey, what's up Subaru...?" she answered. "Oh shit... Okay, we're on our way."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're mother is pissed about something, as usual. Wants us home right now." I groaned in response as we both made our way to her car.

We drove home without talking much, opting to listen to music from the radio instead. I took to the time to focus on flushing the alcohol from my system as much as possible, and was mostly sober by the time Ginga pulled her car into the driveway.

Ginga and I entered into the front door as quickly and as quietly as we could, finding my mother standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed. She glared directly at me, and I couldn't recall ever seeing her so angry before.

"Where the fuck were you last night, Fate?" she seethed in my direction.

I looked in a panic at Ginga, who looked back at me with the same level of concern. My mother wasted now time in charging across the room towards me, grabbing me by the shirt and picking me up a few inches from the ground. She then threw me as hard as she could against the wall behind me, my head taking most of the initial impact. I hit with a lot of force, and it knocked the wind out of me as I slumped to the ground helplessly.

"Don't you _even_ try to heal yourself," she said, pointing down at me. Ginga made a motion to come assist me, but was immediately thrown back against the front door herself with a loud crash.

"Subaru, don't try to intervene," my mother called over her shoulder. "I can kill you in a second, literally."

"Why?" I managed to gasp out from the floor.

"Why? WHY?!" my mother spat. She picked me up by the throat and held me up against the wall, my feet dangling off the ground. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out about you and Lindy's new angel?!" she screamed.

"I... didn't..." I tried to say.

My mother threw me across the room and I landed on top of the glass coffee table. The shards piercing through my back, and the pain was excruciating. I tried to raise up, but found I was impaled in several places and unable to move. I coughed up blood onto my shirt as my mother crossed the room towards me again.

"I know everything, you ungrateful little bitch!" she yelled as she stood over me.

"I'm... sorry..." I began, but my mother punched my across the mouth, and a felt a glass shard slice my cheek as my face turned from the impact. I became unable to move with the loss of blood now flowing from my back, and my vision became hazy.

"Precia, please!" Ginga begged, crawling into the living room. "That's enough! She understands!"

My mother laughed at Ginga's insistence. "You think I want this worthless piece of shit around here, not even willing to do my bidding as her archangel?! Not a chance. You two watch closely, and find out what happens when you disobey me."

"NO!" Ginga screamed as she burst into tears. I knew what was coming next myself, but I was powerless to stop it from happening.

My mother leaned down close to my face, and I could feel her hot breath next to my ear. "I've always hated you, Fate. Did you know that?" she whispered. "I should have done this a long time ago."

I could heard Subaru sobbing and yelling from across the room, and Ginga crawled closer to the table. "Stop, Precia! Please! She is your own daughter!" she screamed.

"_And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day,_" my mother quoted.

I immediately felt my body sink into despair, my wings being ripped from my back and my aura completely leaving my body. I embraced the feeling of darkness completely as it overtook my being, giving me relief from the agony of being cast out and suddenly finding myself a fallen angel.

**oOOOo**

I woke up to the feel of a cold cement floor on my back. I recognized I was on a rooftop as I stared up at the night sky above me. I noticed there was a faint burnt orange glow present, and I realized a barrier was currently in place in the vicinity around me.

I sat up and looked around, now recognizing it as the rooftop of Uminari Crowne Plaza, which was the building we were on when we first heard of Lindy's new angel, and we were trying to get information on her. I smiled at the memory, and began crawling slowly over to the side of the rooftop where I had originally stood before.

My body was in poor shape, and I was now feeling pain as a human again, a sensation I hadn't felt in quite some time. After a few minutes, I made it to the edge of the roof, propping myself along the wall to look down at the deserted street. I spotted the Midoriya Cafe, as well as the path that Nanoha had walked to get there the first night she and I met.

I looked over to my right, and finally recognized Teana standing in the corner of the rooftop, holding up the barrier. "So, you got suckered into this, huh?" I asked her.

"I volunteered," she replied evenly. "I want to learn everything, including the bad parts."

"Why did you pick this place?" I heard ask from behind me next. I turned to see Signum standing at the other corner of the roof, looking down at me with her arms crossed. Her features seemed to be trembling, but I could tell she was trying to maintain composure for my sake.

I looked down at the street again. "This is the first time I ever saw Nanoha," I informed her.

"I didn't know that," Teana asked, her arms shaking a little bit.

I turned back at Teana. "Any way I can bribe you into letting me go?" I joked.

"Sorry, Fate. You've been cast out by your archangel, and your status is 'fallen' now. There isn't anything I can do to help you," she responded seriously.

"I'm glad it's Lindy and Hayate who are going to do it, at least," I said. "When will they get here?"

"In a minute," Signum responded. "They wanted to give you all the time they could with the place you choose, before your existence is ended."

I nodded as I continued to replay my memories of Nanoha in my head, and I suddenly remembered the electronic cigarette she had given me that morning. It was still in my jacket pocket, so I pulled it out and started smoking it.

"What's that?" Signum asked.

"Fake cigarette. Helps you quite smoking. This one is banana flavored," I responded.

"Sounds disgusting," Teana mentioned.

"Yeah, it is..." I confirmed, as I continued to puff on it. Lindy and Hayate appeared on the rooftop moments later.

"It's time, Fate," Hayate informed me. "Are you ready?"

I turned away from the street and placed my back against the short wall, adjusting my body to be more comfortable, with the wounds to my back still plaguing me.

"Yeah, that's fine," I told her. "It was probably inevitable, with the way my mother is."

Lindy nodded as she raised her hand towards me to begin the last rites. "Probably so. You were dealt a pretty shitty hand, after all."

Hayate raised her hand towards me as well. "Well, Fate. Was it all worth it?"

I looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah... it was worth it," I responded quietly. I closed my eyes and let Nanoha's sapphire eyes be the last image to cross my mind.

After a few seconds of silence, I opened one eye in confusion when the ceremony did not start. I observed Lindy and Hayate looking down at me with smiles on their faces. They then looked at each other and began laughing a little.

"Well, I think this has gone on long enough, don't you?" Hayate asked Lindy.

Lindy patted her on the shoulder. "Yep! That's all I needed to hear."

Signum uncrossed her arms slowly as she looked on in confusion at the two archangels chuckling in front of me. Teana's arms started to drop as well, the barrier beginning to fade around us as she stared dumbfounded.

Lindy raised her hand above her, and I felt a rush of wind pass over me. The familiar feeling of being an suddenly angel washed over me. I looked down at my hands and arms, and I realized I was already starting to heal a little.

"Signum, will you carry her?" Hayate asked as she motioned down towards me. "She may be an angel again, but she is still pretty tore up."

"How...?" I asked.

"I pulled some strings," Lindy responded. "Carim received information that Quattro and Uno were feeding information to Precia about you. So I requested a transfer to my team, in case Precia did end up casting you out."

"Whoa, you're with us now?" Teana said, smiling down at me. "Me, you, and Nanoha!"

"But... I don't..." I tried to say before Signum picked up and flung me over her shoulder.

"Fate," Lindy began, and Signum turned us both around so that I could face her. "You risked everything last night to help Nanoha when she was hurt, and I take those actions very seriously. You deserve a second chance."

"I just love when a plan comes together, don't you Lindy?" Hayate said happily as she began to walk away.

"Absolutely," Lindy added as she turned away from me as well. "Besides, I can't wait to see the look on that bitch's face when she sees Fate as my angel now."

**oOOOo**

**Nanoha POV**

I glanced at the time on the clock above the stove - - 11:10pm. I stared back down at my cell phone as I lay in the middle of the living room floor, having just deleted all my family and friends' contact information from it. I skimmed through the few numbers I had left that were associated with my new life as an angel, unable to completely grasp the concept that my old life was now gone forever.

"_My parents have forgotten about me for an hour and ten minutes now,_" I thought to myself bitterly. "_They will never think about me as their daughter again._"

I had maintained my composure throughout the day as I visited with my family and friends, relishing all the moments I could with them before it would all be over. It wasn't until I had come back to my empty apartment that the loss of everyone really struck me. I sobbed when the clock turned to 10pm, and the realization of losing everyone in my life completely overwhelmed me.

I heard a knock on my front door, and I debated whether to open it or not. When the knock came again more persistently, I rose to my knees and wiped the tears from my cheeks as best as possible. I then stood up and made my way to the door.

"Lindy-san? What are you doing here?" I asked quietly when I cracked open the door to look outside.

"Nanoha, I have company," she responded. I opened the door further to find Fate being supported by Teana in the breezeway of my apartment. She looked weakened and bloodied, and Teana had one arm wrapped around her shoulder to help support her.

"Fate-chan?!" I yelled, quickly walking towards her and placing my hands on her face gently. "What happened?"

Lindy walked past me into the living room, and I took Fate's other arm and wrapped it around my shoulder to help her inside. Teana and I maneuvered her to the couch, where we gently laid her down on it. She seemed to be falling in and out of consciousness, and I knelt next to her to feel her forehead.

"She's healing from her wounds," Lindy said, looking down at her. "Precia cast her out, but not before giving her a good beating beforehand."

"Wait, what?!" I said in a panic up to her. "I don't understand. If she were cast out, wouldn't she be...?" I trailed off, unable to finish the horrifying sentence.

"Lindy-san reinstated her as an angel," Teana said, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Fate's one of us now, Nanoha."

"Indeed she is," Lindy confirmed. "Well, I hope you don't mind us leaving her here with you for the night, Nanoha? I'm sure you two could use each others company and support after everything that has happened today. I'll be back in the morning with paperwork for Fate to fill out."

I stared at Fate on the couch as Teana and Lindy showed themselves out of the apartment. I was in complete shock at the situation, but I then smiled to myself at the thought of Fate and I suddenly starting a new life together by chance. I looked down at the wound across her mouth, which was starting to bruise a little. I kissed it lightly, and it immediately began to heal.

Fate stirred and looked over at me. "I thought I told you not to do that anymore," she scolded me playfully.

"Old habits die hard," I replied with a shrug.

Fate looked around at her surroundings. "It's a good thing your couch is comfortable," she mentioned.

"Glad you like it," I responded. "Because this will probably be where you are going to be sleeping. Well, for a while at least. Until we figure something else out."

"You don't mind?" she asked. "This is all pretty sudden. I don't want to be a burden on you?"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I had a bad day today, so this is a nice surprise."

"What happened with you?" she asked, but she nodded a little and looked to be falling back into an unconscious state before I could answer.

"Just rest for now, okay?" I told her. I stood up and grabbed the blanket that was still draped over the couch and placed it around her as she fell back asleep. I leaned over and kissed her forehead softly.

"Looks like it's the two of us now, Fate-chan," I said softly as she slept peacefully.

* * *

**A/N:** Lots more NanoFate to come, as you can imagine. Until then! ~Nissanity~


	5. Chapter 5 - The Spice of Life

**A/N: **The last section of this chapter is NOT safe for work, or any place else you may want to try reading this in public. Maybe your cellphone is okay, if your screen is small enough. But you've been warned. This chapter is all NanoFate goodness, and the storyline will progress again next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 5****__**** – The Spice of Life**

* * *

******Nanoha POV**

"_Fate-channnn..._?" I sang sweetly as I knelt next to her in the living room.

"Hmmmm?" Fate answered, still sleeping on her stomach on my couch.

I moved in closer. "Are you feeling better yet?" I asked her softly, looking her over to assess the wounds that I could see on her arms and legs.

"Um-ummm," she responded, turning her head away from me.

"Geez, Fate-chan, it's been two days already," I said a bit louder, my concern starting to be replaced by impatience.

"Five more minutes..." she replied, her voice clearly indicating she was not waking anytime soon.

Frustrated with her lack of progress in healing, I stood up next to the couch and peered down at her injuries. I decided to take matters in my own hands, and I quickly mounted her waist and yanked her shirt up to expose her back. She didn't respond until she felt my hurried kisses beginning to heal her wounds.

"Ah, Nanoha! You aren't supposed to do that!" she suddenly yelled, beginning to squirm below me.

I grabbed both of her hands in mine, forcing them to stay against the couch by her sides. "You were taking forever to heal, Fate-chan! I didn't have a choice!" I replied, doing my best to keep from getting thrown off of her as her strength returned and she bucked her hips.

"But it tickles!" she screamed as she laughed loudly. I bit her on the side of her back playfully, causing her to yell out even more.

Satisfied that I had helped accelerate her healing enough, I removed myself from her waist and sat back down on the floor near the couch. We were both breathing hard and smiling at each other.

"What was that all about?" she finally asked, and leaned halfway up on the couch to look at me better.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I'm bored, Fate-chan," I informed her. She sat up completely, and I took the opportunity to sit next to her on the couch.

"Well, what you like to do, Nanoha?" she asked, leaning an arm up on the back of the couch while looking over at me.

"Um... I don't know actually," I replied honestly. "I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."

Fate laughed. "Well, how am I supposed to entertain you then?"

"You pick something to do," I said.

Fate looked up as she thought for a moment. "I do need to get a new gun? I left my old one over at my mother's house."

I frowned. "Why do you need a new gun?" I asked.

"Well, because I just need one," she replied quickly.

"Gun shopping is kind of a weird date, but okay," I told her, standing up from the couch.

"D-Date...?" she stammered, looking up at me perplexed.

I reached down my hand towards her. "Come on. You go shower first, and then we will go play with your death toys."

Fate grabbed my hand and stood up from the couch with my assistance. Instead of heading down the hall to the bathroom though, she began inspecting my hands carefully.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just seeing what type of weapon would fit best with your hands, Nanoha," she responded.

I pulled my hand away. "I'm not getting a gun, Fate-chan!"

"But then you will be left out, since Teana carries too," she joked. "Besides, if you have a problem where you can't use your crazy super powers, you still have a backup plan."

I pursed my lips. "Well, when you put it _that_ way..." I conceded.

Fate smiled in triumph, and turned down the hall towards the bathroom. "I won't be long," she informed me over her shoulder.

As I heard the bathroom door click, I pulled out my cellphone and sent Lindy a text message. "_We are headed to the armory at headquarters to get Fate a new gun,_" I wrote.

After a few moments, I received a text message back. "_Great! Get one for yourself too in that case._"

"Tsk, God damnit..." I muttered as I put my phone away.

**oOOOo**

"Just how far down is it under headquarters?" I asked Fate, watching the numbers on the elevator begin to change as we descended.

"Just four," Fate replied, and she leaned back against the rails behind her and watched the numbers as well. "It's in the basement of the building."

Shortly after the elevator chimed and the doors open, and I was greeted with the sight of an entire arsenal of weapons, enough to equip an entire army of angels.

"Holy shit," I whispered.

"Hey Griffith!" Fate greeted as we walked inside the armory.

"Fate! Long time no see," the green-haired, tall man behind the counter to our left replied. He shook Fate's hand, and then turned towards me. "And this must be...?"

"Nanoha," I responded and shook his hand as well.

"Oh, Nanoha! I've heard a lot about you!" he said cheerfully. "Although I'm a bit surprised at you being here. So, Lindy is arming the whole team then?"

I faked a smile. "Yeah, it's... great," I said reluctantly.

"Fate, I have a new shipment I just got in. I think you will be really interested," he mentioned, walking away from the counter and heading to the shelves where the handguns were stored. I was in still in awe at the amount of firepower that was contained in the underground facility.

We rounded the corner, and Fate's eyes lit up. "_Beretta_?!" she exclaimed. "You guys have never carried that manufacturer before!"

"Yep, the Vatican finalized the contract with them a few weeks ago," he told her.

"They are an Italian manufacturer, Nanoha," Fate informed me. "I've always wanted on of the 92's."

"Oh," I simply replied, although I was happy to see her excited as she stared up at the shelf, her burgundy eyes dancing a little as she took in the weapons before her.

"Here, check these ones out, Fate," Griffith said. "These have the laser guides. I have the silencers up front if you need them."

"Thanks," Fate said as she took one of the pistols in her hand and inspected it.

"And what about you, Nanoha?" he then asked me.

"I thought Nanoha could use something heavier," Fate replied for me. "To match up with her other powers."

Griffith cupped his hand around his chin as he thought. He then snapped his fingers a moment later. "I think I know just the brand. Follow me, Nanoha."

Fate gave me an encouraging smile as we left her behind to choose her new weapon. We walked a few shelves over, and I noticed the shape and weights of the weapons were starting to look different.

"_Smith & Wesson,_" Griffith proudly announced in front of the shelf he had led me to.

My eye was immediately drawn to one of the pistols displayed near the middle. I ran my fingertip over the handle of the raised design on it.

"The SW1911 E-Series," he continued. "The fish scale design is really nice, huh? The details on this weapon are very unique."

I nodded my head silently as I continued to look it over. I reached over and picked it up, and the feel of the steel weapon seemed to fit the shape of my hand perfectly. I studied the beauty of it closely, turning it over a few times to let the light reflect off the barrel.

Fate turned the corner of the shelf we were standing in front of, and she smiled as she looked at me fawning over the weapon.

"That's looks like a good match, Nanoha," she commented.

"Yeah... will me show what to do with it, Fate-chan?" I asked her.

Fate's smile grew even broader. "There's a firing range here. I can show you how to do target practice?"

I nodded again. "I want this one," I told Griffith as handed it to him.

"Excellent! You guys head up to the range while I get everything together. I'll have them sent up soon," he responded.

Fate and I took the elevator to the third floor, and we entered into a large room with several stalls in a row.. Each station was set in front of long range with targets at the end. I was surprised to see that there wasn't any else using the facility at the moment.

Fate walked towards the last station on the other side of the room, and I followed a few steps behind. She found a bin of headphones and handed me a set.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"A little bit," I responded honestly.

"Don't be. You might like it, actually," she said. We walked over to the furthest stall, and Fate pushed the button to return the empty target holder on the track. It came whizzing towards us, and she reached down to pick up a target sheet with a human-shaped silhouette. She attached it to the clip and returned it down the aisle, and one of Griffith's assistants came in shortly after with our newly acquired weapons.

"Enjoy," he said as he left.

Fate showed me how to load the magazine, and demonstrated the proper stance for holding and aiming it. She passed the gun off to me, and guided me to the stall to get into position. I mimicked her stance the best I could, although it felt unnatural and awkward.

"First, separate your feet more," she said, standing behind me and placing her hands on my shoulders. I felt her foot kick against mine a little, and I move my feet apart in response.

"Okay, now what?" I asked, looking down to see my feet were about shoulder-width apart.

Fate reached over me from behind and placed her hands under my elbows, lifting them up to be parallel with the ground. She then moved the closest headphone to her away from my ear, so that she could speak to me easier.

"Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, for one thing," she instructed. I complied, and she began to adjust my hands around the handle slightly from how I had placed them before.

I felt Fate's body lean into mine more, her breasts now brushing up against my shoulder blades. I found myself leaning back against her inadvertently, and she began to point to the front and rear sights.

"I always keep both eyes open," she said beside my ear. "You want to level the top sight with the rear sight in your vision."

I could feel my breathing becoming a bit more unsteady the longer Fate pressed up against me. I scolded myself mentally for not being more professional, but my body was not complying to my own admonishment. I turned my head to face her, finding her lips suddenly inches from mine.

"What's next?" I asked her quietly.

"Um, this is the part where I'm supposed to tell you to control your breathing," she said, her eyes quickly glancing over mine, as well as the rest of my flushed face.

"I can't do that right now," I responded quietly.

"Oh," she replied, a look of slight confusion on her face.

"Fate-chan..." I began.

"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, stepping away from me and putting her hands up defensively. "Oh shit, I'm sorry, Nanoha! I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable or anything."

My body suddenly felt cold with the loss of her body against me so quickly. "No, wait, that wasn't - " I tried to say.

We heard a movement come from beside us, and we discovered Teana rummaging through the headphone bin. She glanced over at us a few times, her face a little flushed herself.

"Teana...! Didn't... hear you come in," Fate stammered, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

Teana walked up to a stall a couple over from us. "Yeah, Lindy called to say that you guys were trying out new weapons, and suggested I should join you." She looked us both up and down. "Remind me never to have Fate give me a shooting lesson, though," she joked.

I tensed up and looked away. "She'd better not..." I mumbled.

Fate glanced over at me. "Did you say something, Nanoha?" she asked.

"Nope," I replied. "I'm going to go ahead and try shooting, okay?"

I moved the headphone back in place over my ear and took a deep breath, steadying my nerves and letting my mind go blank. I focused my attention completely on the target ahead of me, aiming for the center mass as Fate had instructed. I fired off the nine rounds, my shots making a tight cluster in the center circle. I removed the cartridge, pulled back the slide, and set the safety again before putting the gun down.

I turned around to find Fate staring at me steadily. She walked over to the button on the wall and pushed it, never taking her eyes off of mine as the target came whizzing towards us again. She reached up with one hand and pulled the target down, finally bringing it in front of her to assess my score.

"Was that okay for my first time?" I asked, concerned she was displeased with how I did.

"Teana, what do you think?" she called, holding the target out in front of her and stepping away from the stall. Teana looked over in our direction and dropped her hands with a thud against the counter, the gun still pointed down range.

"Figures," she muttered before facing forward to begin her own round of target practice.

Fate replaced the target on my lane with a new one and sent it back, and then walked over to the stall between me and Teana where her new weapon had been waiting. She loaded a target on her rail as well and sent it to the far wall. She glanced over at me, and then back at Teana beside her, before shaking her head and facing forward again.

"I'm going to have to step up my game now, I guess," she concluded, before taking aim and unloading her magazine down the range.

**oOOOo**

**Fate POV**

"Hey, Nanoha, are you hungry?" I asked as we left headquarters that evening.

Nanoha was suddenly interested as she looked over at me. "You want to go out to eat with me?" she asked as she adjusted her scarf.

"I was thinking it would be nice," I replied, looking straight ahead. "We could go visit Vivio too, if you want?" I added.

I continued to feel Nanoha stare at me. "You would want to do that too?"

I laughed. "You're not really answering if you actually _want_ to do these things, Nanoha."

"Oh, right," she replied, and I looked over to see her smiling at the sidewalk. "Come on then, there's a subway station up ahead. We'll take it. I know a good place near Hayate's," she told me.

Nanoha took my hand in hers and started pulling me towards the stairwell leading down below the street. She would occasionally glance back and smile at me as we descended them and made our way to the underground platform.

"Where are we headed?" I asked, looking up at the train schedule.

"Um..." Nanoha replied, and I felt her hand clench tighter in mine. I turned to her and noticed she was now staring at the rails below us, her eyes wide and skin slightly paled.

"What is it?" I asked, following her vision's path.

"I thought this would be easier to face..." she said quietly. "This is how I died. I was hit by a train while saving Vivio."

"Oh," I replied. "Well, why don't we go take the bus or something else then?" I suggested, starting to try to pull her away.

"No," she replied, standing firm in place. "It's okay. I need to face it sooner or later."

"I understand," I told her as I returned to her side. "It's never easy in the beginning."

"How did you die, Fate-chan?" she asked me.

"I wish I could tell you it was something dramatic like an explosion or a fiery crash or something, but it wasn't. My mother, sister, and I all died from carbon monoxide poisoning. There was a gas leak at our house."

"Hmmm, that's still horrible though. All three of you at once," she replied. She then paused and shifted her body weight a little. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while. How the hell is your mom an archangel?"

I smiled. "My mom wasn't always so bad. In fact, she actually dedicated her life to helping people when she was alive. She found quite a few cures for diseases in her lifetime, usually at the sacrifice of her own health."

"So she was declared a saint when she died?" Nanoha guessed.

"Yep," I replied, looking into the empty tube to see if the train was coming yet. "She made her two daughters angels when we died with her, naturally. Alicia, by the way. That was my twin sister's name. The problem was, Alicia didn't adjust well to being an angel, and she fell into despair soon after we got our wings."

Nanoha closed her eyes and turned her head downwards. "How awful..." she whispered.

"My mother became really spiteful after that. But, as you know, there aren't a lot of rules for being an archangel. As long as her team of angels saves souls, she isn't going anywhere. There is nothing that says she has to be kind or caring in what she does. But, she also can't go to Heaven with that kind of attitude either. So she is just stuck in a rut now."

"She has no other options?" Nanoha pressed.

I shrugged. "Well, she can become a Crown Prince in Hell? That's what Crown Princes are - -fallen saints."

"And her feud with Lindy?"

"It requires two archangels to end an angel's existence after they fall, right? Lindy was one of the two that ended Alicia's life," I informed her.

I heard Nanoha gasp, and she raised her hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. "Fate... chan..." she said in shocked realization.

I waved my hand. "It's okay, Nanoha. It was a long time ago. I understand now it was necessary. And Lindy is compassionate, so I know that Alicia didn't feel pain when her existence was ended."

"Who was the other archangel, then? Hayate?"

"No... but, it doesn't matter." I responded, narrowing my eyes at the thought.

Neither of us spoke until the train arrived. Once it had pulled into the station fully and its doors opened, Nanoha began to pull me away before we could board it.

"I have a better idea, Fate-chan," she said. "Why don't we order take-out at the apartment and watch a movie instead? We can visit Vivio tomorrow."

"Are you sure, Nanoha? You said this morning you were bored at the apartment?" I asked.

Nanoha giggled. "I'm not bored with you around, Fate-chan," she replied.

I smiled at her. "That's fine with me then. You get to choose what we eat and the movie though, since I picked out what we did the first half of the day."

Nanoha agreed, and opted to wrap her arm around mine as we took the short bus trip back to her apartment from headquarters. I was growing a bit confused with her physical interactions with me, given the discussion we had a few days prior. She mentioned her decision that nothing would happen between us while we were eating breakfast, and I wasn't one to question her. I felt bad now about nearly crossing the line at the range earlier, when I put both of us in a compromising position, in my attempt to teach her how to fire her weapon.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Nanoha asked, snapping me out of my daze as we continued on our journey to her apartment.

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing," I lied.

Nanoha stared at me. "You're a bad liar."

"Yep," I responded flatly, not allowing myself to broach the subject with her. I felt her pull away from me at my cold response. I didn't protest, seeing that her friendly physical actions towards me were starting to cloud my judgment and resolve with her. An awkward silence fell between us as we got off the bus and walked back to her apartment, climbing up the stairs quickly and rushing inside where it was warmer.

After Nanoha unlocked the door and let us in, she surprised me by slamming her purse on her dining room table loudly before turning to glare at me.

"So, what? You're just going to go back to being a bitch to me? Is that it?" she suddenly yelled.

I stepped back. "What are you talking about?" I responded.

"Today was a great day between us, and now... you're doing that thing again where you hate me all of a sudden," she replied, her voice trembling a little.

"I..." I tried, but had to swallow a little when my voice caught in my throat. "I don't hate you. Why would you say that?"

"Because you won't talk to me now! I don't understand you!" she continued.

"Well, I don't understand you, either! You're not making it easy for me not to like you, Nanoha," I told her, finally allowing myself to touch on the subject I had been trying to avoid.

"Not to like me...?" she asked in confusion, taking a step towards me. "Of course I want you to like me. Why wouldn't I?"

"Damnit! Not to like you like _that_, okay?" I looked away quickly to the floor, now unable to meet her eyes. "I just want to make this work, and to respect your decision after the other night."

"What decision?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "The one where I said I was going to stay away from you, so that your mother wouldn't do what she did anyway? That one?"

I shook my head bitterly. "It still doesn't matter anyway. What Vita said the other day was true. You are too good for me."

Nanoha rolled her eyes. "Alright, whatever. I don't really want to deal with this hot and cold bullshit with you right now. When you finally figure out what it is you really feel, come find me. Until then, good night, Fate-chan."

I watched Nanoha storm down the hallway towards her bedroom and slam it shut behind her, the pictures on her walls shaking a little. I closed my eyes and threw my head back towards the ceiling, my emotions in complete disarray at this point.

I opened an eye as I continued to stare upwards. "I'm really good at screwing stuff up, huh?" I asked softly above me.

Before I could do anything else, my eyes quickly returned to the hallway, as Nanoha had just opened the bedroom door and was headed back towards me.

"Fuck waiting for you to figure this out," she said heatedly as she grabbed my face in her hands. She pressed her lips against mine the next instant, causing me to stumble back against the wall I was standing near. I slammed into the surface hard, and the impact forced our lips apart.

"Nano - " I tried to say before her mouth was hungrily pressed against mine again. I immediately pulled her into me, returning her eagerness as my lips danced across hers. I felt Nanoha's mouth open and her tongue glide over my lower lip, and I opened mine in return to allow her access.

"Unmh..." I moaned into her mouth as her tongue dipped into mine. Nanoha pulled back to stare at me for a moment, and I writhed a little beneath her in response. Her sapphire eyes were now shaded a hue darker, and they were clouded with a look of lust and desire.

I felt her hand come up my neck and cup under my chin, and she turned my head away from her and leaned in next to my ear.

"I want you, Fate-chan..." she whispered, her sultry voice causing a wave of arousal to course through my body. I made no attempts to fight her anymore, and instead let my head fall back against the wall as she bite my earlobe. She began to trail open-mouthed kisses down my neck, and I slide down the wall a little bit.

"Nano...ha!" I cried as she pushed her leg in between mine, my lower body now resting fully against her thigh. She leaned into me more and jerked her leg up suddenly, and I gasped at the mixture of pain and pleasure she just inflicted.

"Do you want me too, Fate-chan?" she asked, turning my head with her hand to look at her directly. She trailed her hand down between my breasts next, before moving her fingers across to the middle of one of them. She gently massaged her fingertips around my nipple, teasing and pulling until it became hard beneath her touch.

I pressed my palms against the wall to steady myself as I nodded in confirmation to her question. Nanoha moaned a little and bit her lower lip after my response, looking me up and down as if I was a prize she had just won. She then pressed her body fully against me, our lips just inches apart.

"I'm glad we could clear this up between us then," she said sensually, her breath mingling with mine. She pressed her lips against mine again, this time the kiss being softer and deeper between us. I moved my hands up to her head, entangling my fingers in her hair to pull her lips harder into mine. I relished her taste as our tongues met in the middle, gliding along each others slowly and deliberately.

The rate of my breathing that had calmed a little during our kiss began to accelerate again, when I felt Nanoha begin to hurriedly unbuckle the belt on my pants while we kissed.

"N-Nanoha?" I questioned as I pulled her away, looking down at her hands now making their way to the button of my jeans and unfastening them. She pushed her lips into mine for another passionate kiss before pulling back again.

"I told you I wanted you, Fate-chan," she informed me, before dropping to her knees in front of me. I watched from above as she quickly removed my pants and underwear in one motion, pulling a foot through one side so that her access to me would not be obstructed by them.

"Nanoha... you can't..." I tried weakly, placing one hand on top her head as she began to kiss and nibble at my inner thigh.

She paused for a moment. "Do you want me to stop?" she asked, staring up at me. She licked my thigh at little while as she awaited my response, and I quivered beneath her touch uncontrollably.

I stared down at her while as she moved further up my leg with her tongue. I shook my head to signify I didn't want her to stop, and she moved her mouth to my other leg. She bit down a little bit, causing me to whimper and clench my hand in her hair tightly.

"Unmh... I like that," she said, alluding to my hand's reaction in her hair. I brought my other hand up to her head and guided her to my heated center, not able to hold back anymore. I needed a release soon after the painful and pleasurable buildup I had just experienced with her.

"Please, Nanoha..." I plead, my hips sliding down a little bit more against the wall to give her better access. Nanoha smiled as she hovered over my wet lips for a second. She looked up at me once more, before pressing her tongue into my folds and finding my swollen clit inside.

"Oh...Fuck...!" I screamed on contact, my body pushing against the wall hard in an involuntary response. Nanoha quickly grabbed my hips to steady me against her face in response. My hips rocked in the rhythm to her licks and sucks, with her tongue caressing my nerves eagerly.

I shuddered and clenched my hands in her hair as she was unrelenting in her pace, her tongue flicking me quickly before pressing flat against my nub in a repeated pattern.

"Fuck... Fuck!...M-More!" I moaned, the buildup in my abdomen being to increase in response to her stimulation.

Nanoha pulled my hips to reposition them, and she moved her head beneath me to lick and swallow the wetness that was flowing from my swollen passage. It contracted in response to feeling her tongue swirling around its entrance.

"I need... something... inside," I begged, my walls clenching at just the thought of Nanoha being inside of me in any way.

Nanoha lapped up a bit more of what had seeped out from me, before returning her mouth's attention to my clit again. She moved her hand from my waist to between my legs, and I spread them apart further in anticipation of her entrance in me.

"Just breathe," Nanoha advised between licks, before inserting her middle finger inside of me the next instant. She felt my inner walls immediately tighten around her intrusion, and she moaned in response.

"Ah!" I whimpered at her humming against my nub, causing me to almost cum in that moment. I held back a little bit longer, although I was closer with her finger now swirling slowly inside of me.

Nanoha removed her finger, and quickly replaced it with two. It took only seconds of her thrusting the new addition in an out of me to send me close to the edge.

"Fuck... right... there. So, deep... don't stop, " I groaned. I braced my hands against the wall again as I climaxed.

"Cum, Fate," Nanoha directed, before pressing her tongue against me fully and slowing her fingers' movement inside me to draw out my orgasm.

My body became rigid and my back arched as I came hard against Nanoha's face and hand. My mouth opened, but all sounds and breaths were caught in my chest as I released on her. I felt wetness pour out of my body and onto Nanoha's hand, and my clit throbbed and twitched as she pulled her mouth away from it.

I trembled with ragged breaths after, and Nanoha's fingers were still clamped down firmly inside me. When I opened my eyes again, I saw her resting her head against my thigh as she stared blankly ahead. She seemed to be basking in her own afterglow after sending me over the peak of ecstasy.

Nanoha began to slide her fingers inside and out of me again slowly. "Nanoha, wait..." I begged helplessly. "I don't think... again..."

Nanoha stood up and pressed her body against mine to support me against the wall. "I want to hear you scream my name, Fate-chan," she told me in my ear. She moved her thigh underneath me to support her hand, using it as leverage to fuck me harder.

"Uhmn," she moaned into my neck when she felt my body comply with her second attempt. My walls began to clamp down around her fingers again even more, and I hugged her close to me as my body jerked with every jarring thrust she made inside of me.

"Feels...so good..." I groaned, my nails digging into her back as her arm began to pump faster. I began to bounce up and down with her hand's rhythm, and her palm came in contact with my sensitive clit repeatedly. The sound of her fingers entering and exiting my wetness echoed through her apartment.

"Oh God... Nanoha..." I said in ragged breaths as I started to shake and tremble. Nanoha leaned in and pressed her mouth against mine to dip her tongue inside again, and I recognized I was now tasting myself in her mouth.

"You taste amazing, huh?" she mentioned quietly, leaving her lips to hover over mine.

"Nanoha..." I moaned, now sensing my second climax approaching quickly. "Nano... ha..."

Nanoha curled her fingers up inside me, massaging my inner nerves directly. "So... tight..." she said in response to my walls clenching completely around her fingers. She bit down on my pulse point as she sunk her fingers in as deep as she could inside me.

"NANOHA!" I screamed when I finally came a second time, a new wave of wetness seeping into her palm and down her wrist. I collapsed to the floor after, with Nanoha right there next to me. We both stared ahead as we tried to calm down and catch our breaths. She tried to gently remove her fingers from inside me after a moment, but there was some pain despite her attempt to be sensitive about it.

Nanoha curled up next to me after, nuzzling her face into my neck as she held me close. I kissed her forehead gently, and I stroked the side of her face a little as we continued to breath heavy.

"Do you... want me to...?" I began, looking over at her.

She shook her head and shifted a little next to me. "No. I just want you to hold me for now, Fate-chan."

"I can do that," I responded, swallowing as I stared forward again, my body still feeling aftershocks as I trembled.

"Oops, I left a mark," she mentioned after a moment, looking at my neck.

I ran my fingers over where she had bitten down, wincing a little in pain. "Looks like you'll just have to heal it then," I joked.

Nanoha shook her head. "Nope, I like it there. Shows that your mine."

"I'm... yours?" I asked, a little surprised at her declaration.

She frowned. "Well, unless you don't want to be?" she replied in disappointment, starting to remove herself from me on the floor to stand up.

"Wait, no! Don't go," I responded, pulling her back into my lap. "It's fine. Whatever you want."

She laughed, and then grabbed my shirt to pull me in to kiss her again as she grinned. "That's what I thought, Fate-chan."

* * *

**A/N:** Fate being at the mercy at Nanoha is always a favorite theme of mine, as well as Nanoha dominating her. Well, until next update! ~Nissanity~


	6. Chapter 6 - Adding Fuel to the Fire

**(edit) A/N: **_After serious consideration of the reviews after the release of this chapter, I have opted to go ahead and discontinue this story. It is my fault as an author completely for not conveying what was happening with Fate and her characterization at this point in the story more clearly, and I do not want the readers to be annoyed with her or not enjoy reading the story because of it._

_To explain what was happening in the past few chapters: Fate was in transition from having a false sense of strength when performing her duties out of fear of her mothers wrath, to finding real confidence in having to protect others that she cared about. It was supposed to parallel what happened in the first MGLN series when she had to stand back up and fight with Nanoha after her mother declared her hatred for her. But the way I have the story mapped out, it wouldn't fully happen for a little while longer. And I definitely don't want the reader to hate Fate because of the journey she's on right now. She's my favorite character to write as/about, and I care about how the reader feels towards her in any of my stories because of that._

_I will chalk this up to a learning experience as an author for the next story. I always appreciate constructive criticism in the reviews and take the readers' words seriously. I'll come up with something new soon to replace this story, and I thank everyone for their time reading this and all the input you have given. ~Nissanity~_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******THE SABERS OF IL SANTI (Discontinued)**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 6****__**** – Adding Fuel to the Fire**

* * *

******Nanoha POV**

"_Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker's man,_" sang Vivio and Fate across the table from me.

Fate was moving her hands slowly in front of her, showing Vivio how to play the game by alternating touching hands together, and then returning them to their knees.

"_Bake me a cake as fast as you can,_" they continued, with Vivio's smile growing wider as Fate began to go faster.

I glanced around at the family restaurant, where Fate and I had met the German branch and Vivio for dinner that evening. It was a place I had not been to before, although it was relatively close to my apartment. The food was typical family style cuisine, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting for families. The restaurant was able to accommodate our large party quickly and easily.

"Vivio sure does love Fate, hmm?" Shamal mentioned next to me, quiet enough for Fate not to hear.

"She does," I replied. "It's not all that surprising, though. Fate-chan is actually a very caring and gentle person. Vivio must have seen it right away."

"And you?"

I narrowed my eyes a little at her, although the smile did not leave my lips. "And me what?" I replied innocently.

Shamal shrugged while smiling at me in return. "It's hard not to notice how happy you are around Fate too, is all."

"_Roll it, pat it, mark it with a V!_" Fate tickled Vivio when she sang 'V', causing Vivio to scream a little as she curled up in a ball and laughed. Fate paused to let Vivio recover for a moment, before tickling her again.

I raised my eyebrows at Shamal. "She's been Lindy's angel for five days, and she was unconscious for two of them. I think I would need more time before coming to that conclusion."

Hayate was next to speak up, having eavesdropped on our conversation. "You're immortal. Length of time doesn't really matter to us," she said, pointing her fork at me in emphasis.

"Well, on the flip side, that means I can take all the time I want to figure out what I feel then," I argued.

"Just don't end up spending an eternity trying to figure out what it is you feel towards her," Hayate replied, although I noticed she wasn't looking at me anymore. I followed her vision's path and notice she was now watching Signum closely, who was cutting up Vivio's pancake for her while she played with Fate. Vita was sitting next to her, eating with one elbow resting on the table, and was watching all of them with her usual bored expression.

I turned back to Hayate. "Any word from the Italian branch, by the way?" I asked.

"Hmmm?" Hayate said distractedly. "Oh, right. No, nothing yet. It seems as if Precia has severed contact with headquarters for now. None of us are surprised though, seeing that we overrode her desire to cast Fate out."

"How long until Precia gets in trouble for not saving souls?" I ventured.

"Oh, not for months, if not years," Hayate replied. "I know things have proceeded unusually fast in the short time you've been an angel, Nanoha. But it is not normally like that. Things tend to move slowly when it comes to those types of decisions."

"I just hope Ginga and Subaru are okay," I mentioned sadly.

"Well, I don't think they will be cast out," Hayate replied. "No archangel is going to honor Precia's desire if she tries that again. My hope is that they are just stuck at their house with no outside contact until she gets over her temper tantrum."

"Ginga and Subaru used to be part of the now disbanded Korean branch, by the way," Shamal added. "When Alicia fell, they decide to retire their archangel and merge them with the Italians. The Commission felt there were too many branches in the area."

I smiled and shook my head. "This is surprising bureaucratic, this whole angel thing."

"Yes, they've had millenniums to create all this red tape," Hayate confirmed.

Vivio suddenly looked past my shoulder with an expression of fear on her face, and then turned away to hug Fate. She buried her face in her shoulder, and Fate held her close. "What happened, baby?" she asked her quietly.

"Vivio, honey, what is it?" I asked as well. Everyone at the table turned to the window behind me. We observed a man staring inside the restaurant directly at Vivio, with a crazed grin on his face. I immediately stood up from the table and walked over to stand in front of him, as did Signum and Vita.

"What do you want?!" I asked angrily through the window at him. He pressed his hands against the glass and tried to look past me towards Vivio over my shoulder. My heart was beating furiously in my chest and I balled my fists in anger.

"Get her away from the window, Fate," Signum instructed over her shoulder. Fate and Shamal immediately stood up and carried Vivio away to the bathroom, and the man's eyes never left them as they walked through the restaurant. I started to move towards the front door so that I could go outside and confront the strange man, but I heard him suddenly hit the glass hard with his fists.

I turned at the loud bang and saw him pointing at me now, his crazed grin now even wider. I glared at him as I approached the window again, and his eyes seemed excited that he had gotten my attention. A lot of the parents were now shielding their children's eyes from the scene, and I had to restrain myself from getting any angrier for their sakes. I heard one of the restaurant cashiers calling the police in the background.

The man curled his fingers against the window a little and pressed his forehead to it, and then dragged his tongue across the glass in front of me. Disgusted, I turned away from him and sat down at the table again, not willing to give him any more of my attention.

"He's leaving," Vita announced, and she returned to the table as well.

"What the fuck was that all about?" I muttered in anger as I pushed my food away from me.

Hayate shook her head. "Something was definitely wrong with that guy. There are a lot of sickos out there," she replied.

"I'll go get them," Signum announced and headed in the direction of the bathroom. Hayate, Vita, and I sat in silence, and I willed myself to calm down before everyone got back.

"How am I supposed to explain that to Vivio?" I asked Hayate.

"It looks like she's okay, actually," Hayate replied as we watched the group come back from the bathroom. Vivio was smiling at me as everyone sat down again. She ran over to my side of the table and gave me a hug.

"I told her that her Mama was a superhero who had to fight a bad guy just now," Fate informed me. "And that it was important we hid so that we wouldn't get hurt ourselves."

I picked Vivio up and put her in my lap. "Is he gone, Mama?" she asked.

"Yep, I took care of him sweetie. You'll never see him again," I assured her.

Signum, Vita, and Shamal took care of the check and got to-go boxes for all the food we didn't eat. We eventually made our way out of the restaurant together, with my senses heightened in case the man returned while we were outside.

"Thanks again for meeting us," I told Hayate, and we all gave each other rounds of hugs.

"Of course! This place is close to headquarters. Maybe we'll have to come back again at some point," she suggested.

"Vivio, sweetie. You be good, okay?" I requested, and Vivio nodded. It was getting easier for her to part ways with me as the days went by, although it continued to pain me to have to let her go each time.

"See you guys!" we all called as they got into their SUV. They eventually shut their doors, and Fate and I watched them drive away.

Fate held out her hand towards me. "Shall we go?" she asked.

I wrapped my arm around hers and took her hand in mine. "Yep. You were wonderful tonight, Fate-chan. Vivio just loves you, and you kept her from being scared with that guy."

"Well, I love her too. She's an incredible little girl," she said, smiling down at me.

I kissed her cheek. "I guess I'll have to figure out some way to repay you for everything," I suggested.

**oOOOo**

**Fate POV**

"_Nanohaaaaa,_" I moaned desperately in her ear as I rocked underneath her.

"Are you close?" she asked me quietly, burying her face in my neck.

I nodded as I trembled and shook beneath her, as her hand slowly glided in and out of me. She pulled me up to straddle her thigh with her fingers still inside, already knowing how to position my body when I was mid-climax.

Nanoha pressed her forehead to mine and grasped her free hand on the back of my neck, while I moved my hips as I pleased to bring me closer to the edge. My fingers gripped her bed sheet tightly in both of my hands by my knees.

"Fate... chan..." she whispered before she kissed me, her tongue meeting mine in the middle slowly. I breathed hard into the kiss as my inner walls clamped around her fingers tighter. I moved up and down at an erratic pace, pulling and pushing myself around them.

I gasped as I finally came, whimpering in Nanoha's mouth as I wrapped my arms around her to pull her against me. She gently laid me down on the bed afterward and kissed me deeply, leaning on both elbows as she lay on top of me.

"I'm so glad I met you, Fate-chan," she said to me quietly. She pushed some hair off of my forehead with her hand, and her eyes intently studied mine.

"Me, too, Nanoha," I replied, still a little breathless. I pulled her down to kiss her again, and then I rolled her over so that she was now under me. I ran my thumb along her cheek and cupped her breast, knowing this was usually the part where she would stop me.

She made a motion to sit up, and I leaned back to allow her to do so. "Want to watch a movie or something?" she asked casually.

I smiled at her and held her hand. "Is there something you want to tell me, Nanoha?" I asked her as I kissed her palm lightly.

Nanoha sighed and stood from the bed, and I let go of her hand in confusion. She put her shirt back on while still wearing her underwear, and then put her jeans on again in silence as well. Before she could leave the room, I leaned over and quickly grabbed her hand again.

"Wait, Nanoha! Did I do something wrong? I won't understand if you don't talk to me," I said.

Nanoha sat back down on the bed, and she looked like she was about to cry. I watched her sink her head a little towards her chest. "Sorry, Fate-chan, it's just..."

I raised my eyebrows expectantly at her. "It's just what, Nanoha?"

She turned to me with a look of frustration now on her face. "It's just, it would be my first time if I did let it happen. And maybe I'm just nervous, or I want to make sure I'm ready. I don't know. But it's hard for me to say no in the moment if I don't stop myself right away."

I relaxed a little and pulled her towards me. "Hey, it's okay. You could have told me. I'm not going to rush you into anything you aren't ready for."

Nanoha buried her head in my neck. "It seems kind of embarrassing though, being twenty years old and all."

"Don't be silly, Nanoha," I told her. "There's nothing wrong with that at all."

"I'll admit though, I've never liked any one like this before you," she informed me. "I think that scares me more than anything."

I paused for a moment to let her words sink in. "Well, I've never had anyone like me the way you do before, so I guess we're even." I kissed the top of her head, and we sat together in comfortable silence as I held her against me.

"Alright, let me get dressed already," I suddenly said, and I pushed her away from me playfully. "We don't have any good movies to watch here, so we will need to go rent something."

Nanoha rose from the bed. "That's true. I'm going to make some coffee for when we get back. I'm not entirely used to being up all night like you are. I need all the help I can get."

"Make sure you bring your gun, Nanoha," I advised her as she left the bedroom. "In case we get dispatched while we are out."

"Yeah, yeah..." she groaned from the hallway.

I got dressed, and put my shoulder holster on that carried my new gun, a Beretta 92SF. I put my jacket on next and made my way out of the bedroom.

As I entered the kitchen I noticed Nanoha had her shoulder holster on as well, with her gun secured in it. As she was putting away the coffee filters, I came up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. "That looks incredibly sexy on you," I said softly in her ear.

"You have weird kinks then," she replied, although she was grinning as she made the comment. She turned around to face me, and kissed me once before pulling away. "I want to rent a zombie movie," she suddenly informed me as she grabbed for her jacket.

"What? A zombie movie? I thought you liked romantic movies?" I asked, opening the front door.

"Nope, not tonight. I want to get tips from that one character in _Zombieland_, when he is at the carnival in the stall and blows all the zombies away."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "For someone who doesn't like guns..." I began.

Nanoha grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. "Don't question me," she scolded. I shut the door behind me and allowed myself to be dragged down the stairs.

"Oh, what the fuck?!" I heard Nanoha suddenly yell as we reached the base of the stairs. I looked over to where she was staring, and saw the same man from the restaurant window earlier. He had just come from behind the side of the building, and was grinning crazily at us like before.

"What do you want?" I asked, ready to draw my weapon at any wrong move he made.

The man suddenly screamed demonically towards us and began running away. "What the...? He's possessed?!" I shouted as I started running after him.

"He doesn't seem like a normal possession!" Nanoha mentioned a few steps behind me, keeping up with my pace.

"I know!" I replied over my shoulder. I was beginning to catch up to him, but he turned the corner and ran out into the middle of a busy street. He was immediately hit by a car and thrown across the pavement several yards. He looked dazed for a few seconds, before getting up and running away again towards the other side of the road. I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a break in traffic as I tried to keep sight of him.

"What do we do, Fate-chan? I can't create a barrier here. There's too many people to block," Nanoha said, coming to stand beside me.

I looked around in frustration. "We can only follow him for now. Try not to get hit," I advised, and I ran out into traffic when the streetlight turned red. I wove in and out of the cars, with a taxi having to come to a screeching halt to not hit me in the middle lane. I rolled my eyes and continued crossing.

"I think I lost sight of him," I mentioned when we had both reached the other side of the road. I leaned my back against the rail at the entrance to a subway station. "I don't know what kind of - "

I was interrupted when we heard a demonic snarl come from the stairwell below, and Nanoha and I peered over the side. The possessed human flew up towards us, and we both fell backwards to avoid getting struck by him. He jumped to the wall of a tall building near us and latched on to the side of it. He quickly began to climb up the side of the building, and then jumped over to the wall of the building beside it. He jumped back and forth continuously between the two as he ascended higher.

"W-We should probably get up there," I stammered in complete shock.

Nanoha stood, and then helped me up. "I'll take one building and you take the other. I can create a barrier on the roof."

I agreed and we parted ways to enter our respective buildings. I made my way to where the elevator was in the building. I pushed the button, and noticed it didn't light up in response. I looked at the closed doors and found an "_Out of Order_" sign hung on them.

"Now?!" I yelled as threw my hands up in the air in frustration. I found the door to the stairwell, and began to climb up the flights of stairs as fast as I could. "At least it's only 12 floors this time," I mumbled to myself.

I made it up the last flight of stairs and pushed open the door to gain access to the roof. I was greeted with the sight of Nanoha's pinkish-red barrier already in place from the rooftop next to mine. I saw that she was standing near the edge of her roof.

"Sorry, I had to take the stairs," I yelled to her, trying to catch my breath.

"That's fine. But watch out, Fate-chan. He's on your roof," she advised.

I turned around and found the demon clawing wildly at the cement floor near the center. "He's coming! He's coming!" the possessed human yelled.

"Why are you acting so crazy?" I asked as I approached to get his attention.

He turned to face me, and began laughing hysterically. "You have no idea what's going to happen to you," he taunted as he growled deeply from his chest.

I immediately drew my gun in panic. "Why can you speak normally right now?!" I yelled as I tried to keep my hand from shaking.

The possessed human's face suddenly changed, and his eyes grew wide as he stared at the barrel of my gun. He dropped to his knees and clasped his hands in front of him. "Please! Please don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want!" he begged.

I immediately dropped my weapon to my side and stared at him. I couldn't tell if it was the actual human speaking, or the demon pretending to be human at this point. I slowly pulled out the rosary around my neck instead. The demon immediately reared back and hissed at the sight of it, and began walking to the edge of the roof.

I pointed my gun at him again. "I don't know what's going on, but you need to come with me. I'll save you," I said, hoping to reach the human inside somehow.

The demon stretched out its arms. "You can't stop us," he warned before he began to fall backwards off the roof. The second the possessed human's feet left the edge, I watched in horror as the demon exited his body and jumped back onto the edge beside me. It peered down below as the human started screaming as he plummeted to the ground.

"Oh, shit!" I yelled as I jumped off the roof after him, accelerating my speed to try to catch up to him in time. I barely was able to stop him before his body impacted with the cement. I laid him on the ground, and then immediately returned my attention to the roof above me.

The demon now had its eyes trained on Nanoha, who was still holding her arms outstretched as she held the barrier. The demon swayed a moment before he raced towards her to attack her. I watched her quickly draw her gun, and right before the demon could reach her she fired a single shot. The bullet struck the demon in the head at point-blank range, and it immediately dissolved afterward.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, I watched Nanoha fly back down next to me before releasing the barrier. The human that had been possessed had fainted, and was currently unconscious on the ground. A few people who had just reappeared after the barrier was released noticed him laying there and began to tend to him. Nanoha and I walked away quickly down the street.

"What do we do now?" Nanoha asked when we were in a less populated area.

"We have to tell Lindy. This is bad. That's a different type of demon, one that can freely possess and exit a human's body," I replied.

"What do you think he wanted with Vivio earlier?" Nanoha pressed, her voice becoming quieter.

I shook my head. "I don't know. And maybe he wanted something from you too," I mentioned.

"I'm not worried about me," she replied.

"Well... I am," I told her. I pulled out my cellphone and found Lindy's number in my contact list. "We are going to keep you both safe, no matter what it takes."

**oOOOo**

Nanoha and I walked into the lobby of headquarters shortly after the incident. We met with Carim, the blond archangel who was currently head of the American branch.

"Fate, Nanoha. It's good to see you," she told us as she shook our hands. "I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances, though."

"I'm glad you could meet us here on such short notice," I replied.

Carim waved her hand. "Oh no, it's fine. I've been assigned the night shift for a while anyway, with all the recent activity my team has been investigating."

"So, what happens now?" Nanoha asked.

Carim turned and started heading for the elevator, and we followed behind her. "Since this is such an unusual set of circumstances, we want to make sure that you and Vivio are protected to the fullest extent possible. We don't know what this new type of demon is capable of."

We reached the elevators doors, and Carim pressed the down button. "We have guest apartments on the second lower level of the facility here. It's where members of the Vatican stay when they are visiting the city."

The doors to the elevator opened and we entered inside the cab. "So we are going to be staying here at headquarters then?" Nanoha asked her.

"Yes," Carim replied as the doors opened after the short trip down. We were greeted with the sight of a hallway with quite a few doors on either side. "I've already talked to Hayate, and they are collecting Vivio's things to bring her here as we speak."

We walked to the end of the hall, and Carim opened up the door that was at the farthest end on the left. We found a fully furnished apartment that had very expensive looking furniture inside. "The Pope stays here occasionally," Carim added as we looked around.

Nanoha smiled as she ran her finger along the leather couch. "God, I hope Vivio doesn't ruin this nice stuff," she mentioned. She then paused and her face fell a little. "What about Fate-chan?" she asked Carim.

"Headquarters won't object to her staying here, Nanoha. It means more protection for Vivio, after all." She then looked around. "Although, there is only one bed in the master bedroom..."

"It's fine!" Nanoha replied quickly. "We'll figure something out."

"Well, I would offer a different apartment but I couldn't anyway," Carim said. "The remaining ones we are willing to stay occupied are going to have the German branch in them. They have offered their services for protecting Vivio here as well, until the matter is resolved."

Nanoha looked like she was about to cry at the news. "They really are amazing," she said as she wiped her eyes quickly.

"Hello!" we heard call from the doorway of the apartment. We found Lindy leaning in the doorway.

"Hello, Lindy! I was just showing Nanoha and Fate the housing arrangement," Carim replied.

"Excellent, because look who I just found," Lindy replied. Shamal entered the apartment with Vivio, followed by the rest of the German branch.

"Vivio!" Nanoha cried as the little girl ran to her to give her a hug. "Did they tell you the good news yet?"

Vivio nodded her head. "Yep, I get to live with Mama again!" she replied happily.

Nanoha bent down to be eye level with her. "And Fate-chan too, okay?"

Vivio nodded, and then ran to give me a hug next. I picked her up and rested her on my hip. She started playing with my hair, which had now become a habit of hers. "It's like I have two Mama's now!" she declared.

My eyes shot over to Nanoha, who just smiled and shrugged in response.

"And what are we, chopped liver over here?" Shamal asked and put her hands on her hips.

I leaned over to whisper in Vivio's ear. "Tell your Aunt Shamal thank you and give her a big hug, okay?"

Vivio nodded and ran across the room. She clasped her arms around Shamal's legs. "Thank you, Aunt Shamal!" she said.

Shamal knelt down and hugged her. "Okay, sweetie, you're forgiven," she replied as she beamed at the little girl.

"Nanoha, tomorrow we are going to run some blood work on Vivio," Lindy suddenly announced. "And perhaps some other tests, to see if we can figure out why Vivio has caught their attention."

Nanoha frowned. "I don't like the sound of that, honestly."

Lindy put her hand on Nanoha's shoulder to reassure her. "Don't worry, it won't be anything invasive. And you can be there the whole time with her if you wish."

We all heard the elevator chime from down the hallway, and heard footsteps quickly approaching the apartment. We all looked over to see a blue-haired man hurriedly enter through the doorway.

"Chrono!" Lindy exclaimed. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Chrono nodded. "News from the Italian branch. I think you all should come upstairs quickly."

I felt a cold wave of fear and dread wash over me with the ominous tone in his voice. I stumbled back a little bit, and I felt Nanoha immediately supporting me from behind.

"I'll stay here with Vivio. You guys go," Shamal said seriously to Nanoha and I.

I raced out of the room with Nanoha, Chrono, and the archangels close behind. Chrono pushed the button for the second upper level floor after we had all entered the elevator.

"What's going on, Chrono?" Carim asked.

Chrono shook his head. "I think it's better if everyone hears it from Subaru herself," he replied, although he was looking directly at me when he spoke. I felt Nanoha's hand enter into mine and squeeze lightly in support.

The group made it's way down the second level hallway where the offices were, and Chrono lead us to a conference room. When we entered, we found Subaru sobbing hysterically in one of the chairs. Teana was standing behind her, and she had her arms wrapped around her shoulders as she tried to comfort her.

"What happened? Where's Ginga?" I asked her desperately.

Subaru shook her head and tried to wipe her eyes, but she was crying too hard to speak. I then noticed the change in her light blue aura.

"She got her wings tonight," Teana confirmed when she noticed my look. "She got them after she tried to save Ginga."

"Where is she then?!" I shouted, tears beginning to streak down my cheeks in frustration.

"The Crown... Princes... took... her," Subaru finally managed to reply in between gasps. "I tried... but... I couldn't..."

"It's okay, Subaru," Teana said gently as she stroked her hair. "Calm down. We'll get her back, okay?"

"She is in Hell right now " Chrono announced solemnly. "And Precia has gone there as well, claiming that she is going to get Ginga back."

Confused looks all passed through the room. "What was that? Precia? Well, that doesn't sound right..." I heard in hushed voices all around me.

Subaru took a deep breath. "I think she started to feel bad about what she did to Fate," she informed us. Her voice was still shaking, but she had calmed considerably. "She actually tried to stop the Crown Princes from taking Ginga tonight, too."

"Is there anything we can do to help save her?" I asked Lindy helplessly, although I already knew the answer.

Lindy wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I know it's hard right now, Fate. But all we can do is wait and see why they took her. I'm sure they will be making contact with us soon."

I felt Nanoha's arms come to wrap around my waist, and I turned around to hug her fully. I cried into her shoulder while she patiently held me close. When the tears finally stopped, Lindy came to stand beside us.

"Why don't you two get some rest as best as you can?" she suggested. "Tomorrow's a new day."

I nodded, and made my way over to Subaru first before we left. I pulled myself up to sit on the table in front of her. "Congrats on the wings, by the way," I told her.

Subaru laughed a little. "It's not how I wanted to get them, but at least now I'll be stronger and I can help get Ginga back."

I ruffled her hair affectionately. "Always optimistic. That's what I love about you, Subaru. I don't have to worry you falling into despair or anything on me."

Subaru paused as she looked up at me, and then smiled. "You've changed, Fate. I'm glad. You deserved better."

I looked over at Nanoha across the room. "I had to. She just wouldn't have it any other way," I said jokingly.

Nanoha saw me looking at her, and she crossed over the room to stand next to us. "Are you ready, Fate-chan? I don't want Vivio to get worried if we are gone too long."

I stood up and patted Subaru on the shoulder. "Ginga will be back. I promise, Subaru."

Subaru nodded seriously. "I know, Fate. Thanks."

Nanoha and I took the elevator back to our new apartment with Carim and Hayate with us. "Where are you staying, Hayate?" Nanoha asked.

Hayate suddenly became bashful and stared at the floor of the elevator. "I offered to stay with Signum, since there wasn't enough for everyone to have their own apartment," she replied, and I observed a small blush pepper her cheeks.

I glanced at Nanoha in confusion, and she just shook her head to advise me to not say anything else at the moment.

"We'll send for some of your things tomorrow at your apartment, Nanoha," Carim announced. "Fate, we will supply you with what you need as well."

Carim and Hayate parted ways with us when we reached the front door of our new apartment. As we entered inside, we heard Shamal signing softly from the spare bedroom. Nanoha and I walked into the room quietly to see Vivio asleep peacefully in the bed under the covers.

"Oh good, you're back," she said softly. "I'll leave you guys to her then."

We said our goodbyes to Shamal who let herself out of the apartment. I looked at Nanoha after, who had her arms crossed as she looked down affectionately at Vivio.

"I missed her a lot," she mentioned quietly. "I'm glad she is with me again. And now, you too," she added as looked up at me.

"Yep," I said as I pulled her close to me and held her tightly. "Looks like it's the three of us now, Nanoha."

**oOOOo**

**Third Person POV**

"My, my, my," Jail said from his seat in the large throne room where he governed. "I never thought I would see the likes of you here."

Precia stared fiercely at the current ruler of Hell, unable to mask her disgust and contempt towards him. "Of course I'm here. Your Crown Princes kidnapped one of my angels."

Jail laughed. "Since when do you give a shit about your angels, Pre-c-ia?" he said, mockingly pronouncing the syllables of her name. "You are willing to sacrifice your own daughter, after all."

Precia waved her hand dismissively. "Don't question what I do. I knew Lindy wouldn't end Fate's existence."

"She certainly has before with one of your daughters," he taunted. "With my help, of course."

Precia had to fight of the rage building inside of her at the mention of Alicia's fall. She remembered the day that Jail, once an archangel himself, grinned as he informed her that he and Lindy had ended her daughter's existence. Alicia had fallen during a mission with Fate, and Precia had not been able to even say goodbye to her before she was destroyed at Lindy's and Jail's hands. Her contempt for Fate only grew as time passed as well, as Precia blamed her for her inability to save Alicia from her demise.

"You're tired, Precia," Jail continued, his voice changing a little. "Tired of humanity, and tired of the bullshit that goes along with saving those ungrateful souls. What's the point, right?"

Precia began to look intrigued as Jail talked. "Go on," she said, stepping closer to his throne.

"Why not join us here instead? Become a Crown Prince. Do my bidding, and find real power," he suggested.

"How is being your servant giving me real power?" she asked, tapping her thumb against her crossed arm impatiently.

Jail leaned back in his chair. "I have plans that go beyond just harvesting souls. Plans that will finally have me as the rightful ruler, even over God himself."

Precia scoffed. "That would never happen. You're incapable of such a thing."

"Are you questioning my abilities as Satan?" Jail growled.

"It doesn't matter," Precia replied. "I'm not going to become one of your Crown Princes anyway."

"As you wish," Jail responded, and then made a motion over Precia's shoulder to his twelve servants to enter into the large throne room. "It would have been so simple, too. I just would have had to have destroyed one of these, and you could have joined us."

Precia glanced behind her as the Crown Princes approached her menacingly. They swarmed around her in the middle of the room, hissing and snarling as they waited the command to attack.

"You're absolutely right," Precia replied calmly to Jail. "Someone _would_ have to go in this situation, if I were to join the ranks of Hell." She then reached over and petted Uno on the head affectionately.

Jail tensed and sat up in his seat in fearful realization. "S-Servants! Destroy her now!" he yelled in a panic.

The Crown Princes instead turned their attention to Jail and hissed. He quickly stood up from his throne as they growled and started to crawl in his direction.

"It's such a shame that you are still subject to being overthrown by your own servants, hmm?" Precia mocked as he started backing away. "Of course, I'll make sure that's not possible when I rule next."

"You fucking bitch!" he spat as the Crown Princes drew closer. Precia threw her head back to the ceiling and closed her eyes, relishing his screams as her new servants ripped Jail's body apart and began to eagerly consume his soul inside.

She made her way to the throne and sat down, shifting as she tried to get comfortable in the seat. "Well, that worked out well," she said to herself in a satisfied tone.

Due and Tre approached the throne, and knelt down subserviently in front her. "How may we serve you, Master?" they asked.

Precia waved her hand in front of her. "Bring me Ginga. I want to see her," she commanded.

The remaining servants were beginning to fight loudly over Jail's remains as they continued to ravage his body next to Precia's seat. "You guys better clean that up afterward!" she yelled at them.

Due and Tre entered the room with Ginga soon after, pushing her to her knees in front of the throne. Ginga, who had been beaten and injured during the abduction, looked up at Precia and grinned with her own blood staining her teeth.

"I always knew you were a piece of shit, Precia," she said. "First casting out your own daughter, and now this?"

Precia feigned disappointment. "Oh, that's too bad, Ginga. I actually liked you. Your sister is pretty dense, but you've always interested me. I'm sorry I had to use you like this, honestly."

Ginga shook her head. "No, you're not. Are you going to cast me out now too or what? I welcome death at this point with Fate gone."

"Oh, no, no, no!" Precia replied. "I have bigger plans for you. Oh, and didn't I tell you? Fate's not gone. She's one of Lindy's angels now. It must have just slipped my mind."

Ginga glanced around nervously. "What are you planning then?" she asked in a panic, fear now washing over her.

"You'll see soon enough. Well, kind of... Quattro!" Precia snapped her fingers, and the beckoned prince quickly removed itself from Jail's remains to stand next to her.

"You there. Take possession of Ginga," she instructed it. "We are heading back up together for the next part of the plan." Quattro wiped the blood from it's mouth in eagerness with Precia's announcement.

"You all can handle affairs down here for a while, correct?" she then asked the servants in the corner. Uno gave a bloody thumbs-up in confirmation.

Due and Tre grabbed Ginga by the arms and lifted her up. "Please, stop this..." Ginga begged Precia, beginning to cry openly. Quattro walked behind Ginga, and her eyes shot open in shock as the prince quickly entered her and took possession of her body. After a few seconds, Quattro smiled and growled deeply to confirm that it had complete control over Ginga.

"Perfect," Precia replied cheerfully, and then raised her hand up so that they could return to Earth together. "Now... let's go get Vivio."

* * *

**A/N:** That was a pretty bad cliffhanger, I know. I'll try to update again when I can. Until then! ~Nissanity~


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